Stars in the Sky
by Chaos Lord
Summary: Ranma has escaped the chaos of his life. But now, with a new family and a new love, chaos descends upon him once more. When all hope seems lost, look to the stars. R/SM x-over
1. Prologue Death, Family, Love, and New Be

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

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Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Prologue – Death, Family, Love, and New Beginnings

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Nodoka Saotome stared at her only son as if he were some horrid monster. "You want me to what," she gasped. Silently, she hoped that what she had just heard her darling Ranma say was some sort of temporary hallucination.

The young man sighed wearily, he had long resigned himself to this fate. Now all he needed to do is convince his mother that this was the right course of action. Given her intense love of honor, it shouldn't be difficult, even for a man of his limited intellect. "I want ya to help me die." His words and tone were those of a man who had seen the end of the tunnel and knew that the only way to save others was to throw himself in front of the oncoming train.

"But why," asked the Saotome matriarch pleadingly. "_Gods! Why must you take him away from me again_," she mentally wailed. After ten long years she had finally been reunited with her missing son. Now, that same child wished to have his spark of life snuffed out.

Ranma barked a tired laugh, "Why? Why?! Haven't ya been payin' attention to anything happin' to me?!"

Nodoka looked at her son with astonishment. Never had her offspring spoken to her in such a manner before. Ranma had always been a dutiful son, especially so when he had been Ranko. The pain, resentment, and resignation in his voice proved enough to cut through the haze of honor she perpetually lived in. How much did she really know about her son, other than what little she saw of him and the stories Genma had told her? Everything she knew pointed nowhere near to what she was seeing and hearing right now. To her knowledge, Ranma had always been happy with his life, but how could she continue thinking that in the face of such pain? "I suppose I have been lax in my duties as your mother. But I am here now. Can you tell me your story before I make a decision?"

For a moment, Ranma appeared hopeful. No one really stopped and admitted a problem on their part. Asking for his side of the story, and actually seeming like they were going to listen, was an equal rarity. But the moment of hope faded as he remembered that he existed an untenable position. So, with a tired sigh, Ranma Saotome told the truth. He told his mother of how he cried when he first left her. How his tears only flowed that much harder when he had been forced by Genma to hide them under the guise of sleep. Though the tears of loss faded with the passage of time, a new woe fell upon him. The Neko Ken had torn his mind apart, and Nodoka was sparred no horror. For the first time someone else knew how terribly scared he was as fear slowly robbed him of his self. She knew that, to this day, there were nights where he awoke to the sound of his own fear filled screams echoing in his ears.

When Ranma got to Jusenkyo things really started to pick up. He spoke of the water, and how utterly cold it was. Despite the numbing effects of the frigid pool, he could feel every inch of his body changing. "And when I reached da air! Gods, I was so scared mama. When I looked down," he shuddered at the memory. "I'm ah guy, with everything that goes with that. But in that spring, I was a girl; and it scared the hell out of me. Part of me didn't think what I was seeing was real. Unfortunately, what I felt was sooo good. I know you live with them every day mama, imagine just getting a full set of breasts though. I didn't want to like it, but I did and it freaked me out. What was worse was that I could feel that my thing was missing. I can't really explain it to ya, but I knew that it was gone. It hurt, a lot. For all my life, being a man was the most important thing. Women were weak and needed ta be protected. Now I was one, and I was liking it. I was angry, sad, and scared all at the same time. I even wanted ta kill myself before I went too girly. It was only the guide telln' me about hot water that stopped me."

Ranma went on to detail his journey from Jusenkyo to Nerima. But while there were insights, trials, and tribulations along the way, the real misfortune came once he arrived at the Tendos. Nodoka heard how even upon first introduction her son had faced negativity. Even though he fell for Akane's smile, it hurt when the curse was revealed and all he got was looks of revulsion and declarations of perversion. It didn't stop there. Nabiki sold pictures of his female form to anything with a penis and 500¥. Kuno and the others at school lusted after him. She heard of the new nightmares that tormented her child; terrible dreams where men violated his female body. And as if the dreams and unwanted advances were not enough, the curse itself presented a constant source of stress. As time passed, the girl half of him had pressed itself on his thoughts more and more. A need that had started the first instant he held his breasts only grew as time passed. With cries of perversion to the right, the amorous thoughts of classmates to the left, and his own desire within him, Ranma broke down and submitted to _her_ carnal needs.

Despite how absolute the pleasure was when Ranma reached that climax, the act only served to terrify him. It was if, bit by bit, his girl side was taking over. In his fearful state, Ranma took any challenge, no matter how inane. He allowed the girls to fawn over him whenever they were about. And, if a possible cure came to light, then there was nothing, not even his own honor, which would get in his way to obtain permanent manhood. In the end, that was the root of all his problems, he wasn't enough of a man; and he never would be. So, to bring an end to the pain and sorrow, he had to die.

Nodoka looked at her offspring with sad and aged eyes. She had known that the journey was not the epitome of pleasantness, but Genma's letters and stories had made her believe that it was mostly okay. Now though, she saw how terribly wrong her husband had been. But still, she could not let her son die without a fight. "My dearest child, is there nothing, no light, no love, no small spark of goodness in this world to keep you here? What of Akane, do you not care for her? And what of me? We have just found one another. I do not wish to loose you again."

"Akane," replied Ranma sullenly. "I cared for her. But, I can't. Not anymore. Ya don't see it mama, but I do. Every time I look in her eyes I see her disgust with me. She may like me, but I don't think that's enough. As for anything else," he asked, "there's nothin' I can think of. Everything is too wrapped up in other things."

Ranma sighed and looked away, his mother's last question hurting too badly to answer to her face. "You don't haveta' lie to me mama. I know ya hate me. I'm a freak. You deserve to have ah son, or ah daughter. I'm not either of those things."

Her son's words were like a knife to her heart. She loved her son, with all her heart. What real mother would not? But, from how Ranma spoke he did not see that. All he saw was a woman who hated him and was disgusted with a core component of his being. What made things even worse was the knowledge that, no matter how hard she tried, she would not be able to convince him otherwise.

As her hopeless reached its zenith, a solution suddenly encroached upon Nodoka's thoughts. Her long-held animosity towards the end result of this new line almost made her reject it. Only the near certainty of her son's death pushed past Nodoka's reluctance and spurred her to action. "My son, your words are greatly disturbing. I require some time to consider how I shall proceed. Until then, I request that you wait. Do not try to kill yourself until I say so. Do I make myself clear?" Though she hated doing it, Nodoka purposely kept her tone coldly controlled.

Ranma didn't want to live a second longer. _**She**_ was getting closer with every moment that passed. He needed to die as a man while there was still enough manhood within worth mentioning. But his mother had given him an order. And while he may have proved to be a disappointment to this point, he would not fail in this most recent task. "Okay, I'll wait." It may cost him his soul, but at least he wouldn't see that look in her eyes.

And for his trouble's, all Ranma received was a small nod of his mother's head before she left the room; and him. From his senses, he knew that his elder stopped at the far end of the hall. What she could be doing there, he did not know. For the next hour, he remained seated at the Saotome dining table as Nodoka did whatever it was she was doing. On several occasions, he heard muffled screaming coming from where his mother was. Nothing about them sounded like she was under attack, so he remained in place and allowed her however much time she needed.

After an hour Nodoka returned to her son. She looked harried but resolute. A brief smile graced her features as she saw that her son had moved nary a muscle since she had last left him. "_He is trying so hard to prove himself to me,_" she thought with somewhat mixed feelings. Ranma began to stand as she entered but Nodoka shook her head. "Please remain seated my son." Instantly, he sat back down and looked at her expectantly.

Joining her son at the table, the elder sighed. "Ranma, I have made my decision." Her child's almost happy expression chilled her soul. "But before I tell you, I have a story. It begins in the years just after our war with America."

Ranma shivered unconsciously. He had heard about the devastation the war had wrought across the entirety of the Pacific. While he likened himself to a warrior, such destruction was simply chilling.

"The Americans sent envoys to our country to oversee us and ensure a similar conflict would never occur again. The aid to one of those men was a young, fiery-haired, college graduate by the name of Joseph Alexander." From the way she spoke of the man, Nodoka obviously had some first-hand knowledge in regards to him "For the first few months Joseph remained aloof to the locals as he performed his duties to his superiors. One day, one of our government officials held a meeting with his envoy. In attendance was the official's daughter, Yori. The instant their eyes met, the two felt a spark. Of course," she said with a wistful smile, "with relations between the Americans and ourselves being what they were, Joseph and Yori were reluctant to act.

Had they been left to their own devices then nothing would have come of that spark. Luckily, outside forces conspired against them. Not knowing that the object of their desires were on the other side, both Joseph's and Yori's friends convinced the pair to confront the one they had fallen for. What followed was a whirlwind romance right out of some feudal tale. The pair often met in secret and soon what began with a spark became the fires of true love.

Initially, no one suspected a thing about them," explained Nodoka to her enraptured son. "What meetings between the new couple were written off as diplomatic exercises. But, when Joseph proposed Yuri insisted upon asking her father's permission." Seeing Ranma wince, she nodded, "Yes, you can only imagine his fury when his daughter asked to be wed to a gaijin, that it was an American only made things worse. He forbid Yuri from ever seeing her beau again, to say nothing of marriage. Stubbornness ran deeply in her family though, and in that way Yuri proved herself a member of her clan. Over her father's objections, she married her love and in the process sacrificed her family forever.

As time passed, Joseph and Yuri had four wonderful children, three boys and a girl. Into each they tried to distill a mix of our honor and American freedom. Most of the children were able to firmly latch onto both principles, unfortunately, the Alexander girl was not as capable a student as her brothers." As she recited this bit of her story, Nodoka's voice took on a rather bitter tone, almost like she was speaking of herself. "She became enamored with her mother's tales of brave samurai warriors. The heroism of a bygone age shaped her vision of the world around her. Honor became the center of all her thoughts and she yearned for a life like her heroes of old. So, it was only natural that, when she met a wondering martial artist, she fell hopelessly in love.

When she told her parents, the unthinkable occurred; they forbade her to see him! They, who had taught her of honor and had been shunned by their own elders, sought to do the same to her," by the way she spoke, it was clear that the situation angered Nodoka as well. "And so, in a move that showed her lineage all too well, the young woman sought out her estranged grandparents. Yuri's father was more than happy to accept his wayward descendant. Though it was clear that he did not exactly approve of her choice in suitors, it would upset her parents and that was more than enough for him."

For the longest time, Ranma hadn't a clue as to why he was being told this story. Eventually though, the reason pieced even his unusually thick skull.

As the look of recognition spread across her son's face, Nodoka nodded. "Yes, this story is about me."

"My grandfather was an American?"

"Not was, my son. Daddy is still alive. Besides," she added with a smile, "how did you think we have red hair and blue eyes? They are not exactly the most Japanese of traits."

"I guess you're right," replied Ranma in embarrassment. He hadn't really thought that through much. With all the weirdness in his life, the peculiarities of genetics tended to be forgotten.

"But why didn't you ever tell me about him till' now?"

"Ranma, what my parents did hurt me greatly. It is only recently that I have begun to see Genma as they did. The reason I am telling you about them now is that I just got off the phone with them."

"Was that who you were talkin' to?

"It was. After much discussion, I was able to get them to agree to my proposal."

"Which was," asked Ranma warily. In his experience, it was never a good thing when adults talked to each other.

Nodoka took a steeling breath before making her announcement. "As of this moment, you are no longer a member of the Saotome clan. If, by the end of one year, you have proved yourself worthy, you will be allowed reentry into the clan."

To Ranma it was as if a knife had suddenly been plunged into his chest. Loosing his manhood was a hard blow, but this? It was the loss of everything he had left. He couldn't even end his life with the most meager measure of honor. "B, but why?"

Normally, Nodoka was a woman who deeply believed in, and adhered to, the Japanese ways of handling interpersonal relationships. But this was an unusual situation, and she felt decorum could mind its business while she dealt with her distraught son. With a quick motion, she was around the table and had her child in her arms. "It is necessary to help you my son." The way Ranma looked at her it was plain that he didn't find her actions all that helpful. "Not being a Saotome releases you from many of the promises made in your name, including the manliness pledge. And do not concern yourself with being a ronin, my parents have agreed to accept you into their family."

"But why not let me die? Wouldn't it be easier for ya?"

"Easier yes," replied Nodoka with a smile. "But if you had learned anything from my little story, our family does not go for the easy path. Besides," she added a with some seriousness, "I do not think what is going on is as bad as you fear."

"How can you say that," screeched Ranma. "You don't have'ta live with it, but I do! Do you know what happened yesterday? DO YOU?! I saw a pair of pants in a window and I actually wondered how my ass would look in them. It was a girl's store mama! I'm becoming a girl!"

"But what if you are not? What if you are just getting used to the curse? They say that when someone gets a pair of glasses for the first time, they feel it at every moment. As time passes though, they become part of a person until the wearer can not remember what it was like not to have them. Perhaps the same is true for you. Being interested in how clothes look on you, and how your body feels, is only natural. Maybe your curse is trying to show you that there is more to life." By the end, it was all she could do to get the words out; and even then it was between sobs. She was in a battle to save her son's life. And though she hadn't been there in over a decade, here, now, Nodoka would fight to her dieing breath to save him.

In all the time he had known her, Ranma had never seen his mother in such a state. If he didn't know better, he would almost say that she was genuinely concerned with his well-being. There was one thing though, her words. Even in his life, when so many words and emotions were used against him there was something about what his mother said, and the way she said it, that held for him a ring of truth. "_Could she really be right,"_ he asked himself slowly. _"What if I am just getting used to the curse?"_ Still though, even if what she said was true, there were many questions that remained. "Won't you be disappointed with having a half of a son?"

Nodoka pulled her son to her so tightly it felt as if her arms would pull themselves from her. "Ranma, I am not disappointed in you now. And you are not half of anything, you are my son. You just happen to be my daughter as well. For the longest time the only difference between the two was your body, and maybe that is changing. And when you return, if my daughter is a total tomboy or if she is a dignified woman, I will not be disappointed in you then either. In fact, the only way you could disappoint me now would me if you gave up." Looking her son in the eye she added, "Can you promise me that you will try to explore this new side of yourself to its fullest potential?"

Ranma knew he had the hardest time gauging people out of combat, it was why Nabiki was able to walk all over him. But for some reason he **KNEW** that his mother meant every word that she had said. Still though, what she asked of him was hard. It was harder than anything he had ever done. Suddenly, Nabiki's voice popped into his head, _"What's this? Is mister macho, kick-ass, I can do anything, Ranma Saotome sacred of a little challenge? Maybe I should be placing bets on how long it takes you to be like Daddy."_ Ranma shivered at the mental image of himself crying like Soun did on such a regular basis. Even in his most feminine state of mind, he was far too manly to do something like this. But while the mental image scared him, the thought behind it inflamed him. He was Ranma Saotome! He didn't loose to nothing! Even if the guy he had to beat was himself dammit. "I promise mama. I won't disappoint ya."

"I know you will not," replied Nodoka tearfully, but with a smile. "Now my son," she continued as she withdrew a sheet of paper from the folds of her kimono, "here is the address for your grandparents. Its best that you be off sooner rather than later."

"Will you ever come and visit?"

"Of course I will, my son. Though I will probably wait a while. I do not want to tip off your suitors." She paused for a moment before smiling, that old familiar gleam appearing in her eyes once more. "At least that will give you some time to find a nice young lady to give me some grandbabies."

As was proper with such statements, Ranma rolled his eyes. "Mooooom."

"Ha ha. Do not worry my son, I know you will have fun."

Taking that as his queue to leave. Ranma got up and hugged his mother. "Bye mama. I'll miss ya."

Nodoka tightened her hug greatly. "I will too son."

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Several hours after leaving his Mother's home, Ranma finally climbed into the home he shared with his father at the Tendo's. This place had been the first real home he had known. Though the time here had been filled with its fair share of triumphs and tragedies, a part of Ranma felt reluctant to leave. A look at one of the many patch jobs in the room though quickly quelled any thoughts of staying. He needed to leave, despite all the pleasant memories associated with it, his time here had brought him to the hair's edge of suicide. _"I just hope this place Mom picked out is better."_

With the silence of the creature that he feared, Ranma sneaked through the room and gathered what few possessions he had scattered on shelves and such. Had anyone from school seen the inside of his room they would have shuddered at the sheer lack of things which Ranma called his own. They, who slept comfortably surrounded by posters of whomever had caught their fancy and a seemingly endless array of distractions, did not know the true meaning of essentials.

For Ranma, that was all he wanted or could afford; one never knew when some villain may break in and start wrecking the place. So, his traveling pack ended up being filled with the few changes of clothes that belonged to him. These were supplemented by a small collection of photos. Some were of the Tendos while others were of the various other people in his life. Few knew it, but Ranma had learned something from Nabiki and that was to love photography. He didn't get many opportunities to practice, but when he did his pictures allowed him to capture things that his meager drawing skills couldn't come close to. A few scrolls of various esoteric martial arts and his camping equipment joined it all before Ranma sealed the bag for travel.

Taking one last look around him, Ranma spotted Kasumi standing in the doorway. Her eyes seemed sad as they reflected the pale moonlight which flowed in through the open window. Even her smile, an ever present feature of his time with the Tendos, seemed strained and weakened. Almost independent of his thoughts, Ranma's body moved towards the melancholy young woman.

With nary a sound, the pair traveled down the hall and descended the stairs. The silence may have comforted another, but for Ranma it weighed down on him like the core of a neutron star. So oppressive was it that, when Kasumi finally spoke, he jumped like he had been shot.

"So, you are leaving," it wasn't a question, simply a statement of fact.

"I have to," he replied sadly.

"I know. Ranma I am . . ." That was as far as Kasumi got before he wrapped his arms around her in a clumsy attempt at a hug.

"Don't. Ya don't need to be sayin' you're sorry for nothin'. You're the best friend and sister a guy like me coulda asked for."

A bitter laugh worked its way free from the tight core she normally packed such things into. "A sister? Oh gods, I really messed up that first day."

"Wha," he asked dumbly.

Not trusting herself to say the right words, Kasumi took hold of either side of Ranma's flustered face. Before he could pull away, or she could chicken out, Kasumi brought his face to her own. Knowing that this would be her only chance to express what she had long suppressed, the eldest Tendo sister poured into this one act every ounce of love and lust she held for the man pressed against her. For a moment, as Ranma stiffened in her grasp, she feared that her secret love would flee from her arms. To her boundless joy, not only did he stay, but he began to reciprocate. As his hands moved across her body, caressing her through the thin satin of her nightgown with a deftness she had only felt in her most fevered of passions, she began to ache for him with an intensity greater than ever before. But, even as heat and desire assailed her senses, the one thing which she felt with crystal clarity were the warm tears cascading down her cheeks.

Finally, the combination of raging hormones and a need for air caused Ranma to reluctantly break the kiss he shared with Kasumi. As he slowly pulled his head away from hers, their eyes met and he became entrapped by those glistening orbs. In their depths, he saw the possibilities of a lifetime never lived. The first meeting, when a wet, young, red-headed, girl was introduced to three anxious females. Revealing the curse to people who had no concept of magic's existence. One of the girls, Kasumi, taking up the engagement to the surprise of all. He saw two people who had lived very different and lonely lives finding solace in each other. Slowly, as time passed and chaos swirled around the pair, a love grew. There was the night when he finally proposed and enforced the deal their fathers had imposed upon them. A moonlit proposal flowed into a morning wedding. She looked so beautiful, the sun just cresting the horizon behind her gave her a divine radiance. Time went pass and soon children joined their family. A boy and girl, both equally loved by the most loving of parents. He saw it all as clearly as if he lived it, for he had. In an instant Ranma had shared something with her that he would never be able to adequately put into words.

There are moments in life that are so profound they can change the way we see the world around us. For Ranma, one such moment was upon him. Ten minutes ago, he knew, without equivocation, that Kasumi was nothing more or less than a treasured sister. During all his time in this place, she had been the only one to offer comfort unclouded by an ulterior motive. Around her, he felt calm and safe in a way he could never imagine. But now, new light was thrown upon old memories. Her acts of kindness suddenly took on a newer and deeper meaning. Gone was the loving big sister, and in her place was a vibrant young woman, full of life and hopes but mired in the desires of others. The tender touches she had given him over these last few months were seen for what they truly were, the desperate cries of a woman who wanted so much yet received so little. This new insight into the woman in his arms forced Ranma to kick himself for his own damn shortsightedness.

"_Gods! I can't leave her._" In his minds eye, Ranma saw the spark slowly dieing within her. She would endure as the common housewife life had imposed on her. But she wouldn't be happy. It was a selfish thought, and he knew it. He had to save her from that fate. Otherwise, his own life would have no further meaning. "How quickly can you be packed?"

Just as Rama had seen a life in her eyes, so had Kasumi in his. What she saw only confirmed all the secret hopes she had held. In turn, every sight she beheld turned the icy dagger in her soul a bit more. She desperately held onto each scene that flashed by. And as the children faded away she just wanted to curl up and die. The only reason she remained standing was that she still had Ranma's strong arms wrapped around her. Looking into his handsome face, she could see that he was thinking hard about something. "_He's probably wondering how he can let the old maid down gently_," she thought sadly. Despite her ample physical and spiritual beauty, Kasumi had severe self esteem issues. Over the years it had only built until she came to the conclusion that she was unworthy of anyone's affection.

Those doubts took a massive blow when Ranma asked her about packing. With those few words, he rekindled her hopes like a phoenix rising from the ashes of its own demise. "Really? You want me to come?!"

"Well, yeah. I mean, if ya can stand to be with a sex changing pervert."

Once again, Kasumi felt the warm flow of tears on her cheeks. This time though, they were a symbol of the boundless joy which threatened to explode out of her. For the first time in memory Kasumi made a wholly selfish decision. Jumping up in his arms, she wrapped her body around his own. Between kisses, she managed to gasp out, "Of course I'll go."

The outpouring of emotion was not just one way, for the first time ever, Ranma returned the advances of an attractive woman with equal fervor. Normally, such actions would have had him running for the hills, but after the vision he had just witnessed, there was no way he would deny Kasumi anything she desired. That it was also one of the best experiences in his life made the acquisition of her happiness all the sweeter. Just as his hormones were a hair's breadth away from running totally amok, she pulled away from him with a mischievous little smile.

"Come on," she said happily, "let's go get me packed." She giggled softly at the stupefied expression on her love's face before rushing upstairs like a teenager rushing to get ready for a date.

Ranma stood in shocked silence for a moment as Kasumi ran away with a carefree air he had never seen her possess. He couldn't help but smile at her antics. "_She looks so happy_," he thought as he chased his newfound girlfriend up the stairs. So caught up was he in her happiness, Ranma never realized that he was in a similar state of mind; the depression of hours earlier but a distant memory. As he turned the corner into her room, his chase was brought up short by her absence. "_Where did she go?_" As soon as he thought that, Kasumi betrayed her location with the muffled sounds of giggling emanating from behind the door. Grabbing hold of the partition, he quickly pulled it back revealing a smiling your woman.

"You found me."

He took a step towards her. "Do I get a reward?"

From his grin, it was clear that he was hoping for another one of her smoldering kisses. But Kasumi had other things in mind, and this first step she hid behind her back. "Yes you do," she said shyly. As he leaned in to receive the kiss he was sure awaited him, Kasumi pulled out a glass of water and threw it into his face.

In an instant, the water performed its job and Ranma was reduced to soft flesh and bountiful curves. "Wha?"

In answer to his question, Kasumi drew him in close and kissed him deeply. When they first kissed, she gladly allowed him to make all the moves. Now though, she was the aggressor, and she made sure Ranma knew it. Pulling him against her, Kasumi ran her hands across his feminine form in a reasonable facsimile of what he had done to her downstairs. From the way he went limp in her arms, she was pretty sure that he was responding more than favorably to her ministrations. Once she was sure that the red-headed beauty in her arms was suitably worked up, Kasumi broke the kiss. Ranma still had his eyes closed, but soon they opened and she saw that he had some questions in regards to her actions. "I wanted to show you that, when I fell for you, I fell in love with all of you. And that includes your female side."

"Y you like me like this," he asked with a touch of awe.

Kasumi shook her head, "No, I love you like this." The light blush she had held ever since that first moment she made the decision to kiss him, erupted into a full red face. "And when we get settled, I'll show you how much I love you. No matter the form."

Upon realizing the implications of her words, he could not help but swallow with anticipation. "Is that a promise."

"With all my heart."

He looked away in an effort to hide the tears which threatened to break loose from him. "Well, I guess we should get started."

Instead of confronting Ranma on his emotional display, Kasumi simply graced him with a quick hug before moving into the room. As much as the kitchen was her domain, so too was her bedroom. In the darkness she moved about her task with a speed and precision few could hope to match. Before too long, a small pile of clothes and precious items had accumulated on her bed. Though she had more, she only packed what she deemed essential to either her physical or spiritual well being. With her choices made, Kasumi went over to her modest closet and withdrew a box which lay at the back of the space. The box had but one purpose, and that was to keep safe her mother's traveling pack.

It was one of the few items of her's that Kasumi had kept to herself, and today she was grateful for that rare act of selfishness. "_Mother, please forgive me for this_." A part of her feared disappointing the long deceased Tendo matriarch, but that was side-lined by Kasumi's realization that this was probably her only opportunity to escape the malaise of her life.

Prayer said, she began to methodically pack the bag. Those things she would need with more frequency sat at the top, while less vital items rested safely below. In less than ten minutes, she had managed to condense a lifetime's worth of treasures into one manageable container. That realization left her torn. On one hand, it her hurt to know that she had left so little an impression on the place she had spent so many nights in. On the other, it was a further sign that she needed to leave and find a place where she could truly make her mark. And though the first saddened her, the second buoyed her spirits and helped push her along the path she had started down when she first kissed Ranma.

As she went about her work, the constant gaze of Ranma did not allow doubt to gain a foothold in her soul. He was her rock, and that made her feel better than he would ever know. But, what she had to do now didn't really warrant his staring, at least not yet. "Um Ranma?"

Said young man had been in a daze the whole time Kasumi was packing. "_She actually kissed me, as a girl!_ " Several times, he would glance down at his round breasts. "_Man, I can still feel her hand there._" Of all the women who laid claim on him over the last year, she was the first to be so incredibly forward with his female body. Not only did that piece of knowledge surprise him, it surprised him how good it felt to know someone loved him like that. It made him want to be there all the harder. She accepted him, without any conditions. For that, he would do anything for her. Such was his desire to support her that he was unconsciously projecting a stream of confidence leaden chi towards her. When she finally spoke to him, the chi vanished into the either as he stepped forward. "What's up?"

In the darkness, her blush was hidden by shadow, but that did nothing to hide the twinge of embarrassment in her voice. "Can you turn around. I need to get changed."

The thought of an unclothed Kasumi caused Ranma to return her blush with one of his own. "S sure," he mumbled as he turned around. With his eyes no longer on her, Ranma became aware of how acutely his other senses were perceiving her. In the quiet of the night, he could actually hear her silken nightgown slide against her perfect skin before it landed softly on the wood floor. But, instead of the sounds of her getting dressed, Ranma clearly heard her stepping towards him.

It was an impulsive thought that caused her to walk up to him in her current state of undress, but once she took that first step, Kasumi couldn't stop herself. In spite of their previous sessions, he stiffened when she pressed herself against him. Had he been in his male form, her ample bust would have been delightfully compressed against his muscular back. Now though, with the reduction in Ranma's height brought about by his transformation, her breasts were split apart as his swan-like neck was pressed between them. "Don't worry," she whispered huskily, "when things calm down a little, you are welcome to see it all."

Her hot breath sent delicious shivers through his body. But they were nothing compared to the pleasurable sensations that were produced by Kasumi's slim fingers gently massaging his breasts. "I I'm goin' ta hold you ta that."

Kasumi grinned wickedly as she tweaked Ranma's nipple through the thin silk of his shirt. "That's good to know."

Just as Ranma was about to lay back and let Kasumi continue until the explosive end, she removed her hands from his chest. It was all he could do to keep standing in the wake of such sensations. But a needful whimper did work its way from his lips. To his frustration, all it garnered from Kasumi was the light twitter of her laughter.

She knew it was probably wrong to leave him in such a state, but it felt so good. "_Its not like I was lying when I made that promise_" she thought as she secured the latch on her bra. As she continued to get dressed, a corner of Kasumi's mind, the version of her that had gone through life as a smiling housewife drone, was aghast at her actions. It was well suppressed by the joyful emotions that pervaded her being.

When she finished dressing, Kasumi did not give the all-clear. Instead, she walked over to her desk and pulled out two sheets of paper. As she had been getting dressed, a quick thought had punctured the heady mix of emotions which buoyed her soul. Her housewife side reminded her that the rest of the Tendos would worry if she just disappeared without some note as to where she was going and why. So, for the family as a whole, she wrote a brief note telling everyone that she was safe and with Ranma. On the other sheet, Kasumi spent more of her time so she could explain herself to Nabiki.

After what seemed like hours to Ranma, Kasumi spoke once more. "Okay, you can look."

Over the time with the Tendos, he had seen her in various outfits. Most consisted of variations to her housewife attire. But every now and then, like the time on Toma's island, she appeared in less standard apparel. Today, it seemed, was another one of those days. The white turtleneck was certainly new, and it did little to deemphasize the prodigious mounds that had been pressed against him a short while ago. What really caught Ranma's eye though were a pair of tight jeans which left little to the imagination. "Wow."

In the darkness, Kasumi blushed before flexing her legs. "I think I put on some weight since I bought these."

"Nah, they must have shrunk," he replied helpfully.

"Thank you Ranma," said Kasumi with a smile and a giggle. Taking hold of her bag and the notes she had written, the Tendo daughter walked towards the closed door. "Ranma, can you push this under Nabiki's door while I go to the kitchen and pack some supplies for our trip."

Instantly, curiosity flooded his being as he took one of the letters from Kasumi's hand. But he suppressed it in favor of a smile and a nod. "No problem." The two parted ways at Nabiki's door. Taking the letter in hand, he bent over and slid the folded mass of paper beneath it. To his ire, the slight breeze coming from the room was enough to push the note back at him. "Dammit," he whispered. The battle which ensued was a trying one. Each time he would push it under, the wind would return it to him. Finally, he put enough force behind it to throw Happosai half-way across the ward.

With that minor victory attained, Ranma headed downstairs to help Kasumi with her packing. To his surprise, she stood at the bottom of the stairs smiling up at him. "Need some help packing?"

"Thank you, but no. I have it all in my bag."

He knew that she was a mistress of the kitchen, but that speed rivaled what even he could put out. "Wow, that's fast."

She shrugged and smiled, :"Its all in the packing."

Both shared a laugh as they walked to the entry way so she could put on her shoes. With those firmly in place, the new couple stepped out into the night.

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For twenty minutes, Kasumi and Ranma walked in silence. Unlike the quiet that reigned before their first kiss, this one was filled with warmth and the promise of a lifetime's worth of communication. But warm feelings could not prove an adequate ward against the chilly night air. Before long, Ranma began to notice Kasumi's shivering. Despite being his smaller female form, cold did not affect him the way it did others. When one had experienced the depths of the soul of ice, terrestrial chill meant little.

The entire time they had been walking, there was a comfortable space between the pair. This was pierced when Ranma reached out and pulled Kasumi in close. At the same time, he began to put out a field of warm chi; a reverse application of the soul of ice. Looking up at Kasumi's smiling face he said, "Is that better?"

"Oh quite," she beamed. "Thank you."

"No problem."

"So, when do I get to know where we're going?"

"Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to tell you," he chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "We're headn' to my grandparents' place in Minato."

"That's far. Are you planing on walking the whole way?" As soon as she finished asking that, a yawn escaped her.

"Well I was," he drawled sarcastically. Ranma smiled as he saw Kasumi react the way he hoped; a smile and a blush of embarrassment. "But we don't haveta." Taking a look around him, Ranma quickly ran through a rather short list of places they could spend the night. A park as nearby, but that was quickly denied. There was no way he would make Kasumi camp in a park. Luckily, it looked like he may have an alternative. "_Hopefully Mr. Diajobi won't mind getting up._" "Think you can keep walking for about ten minutes?"

With his question, a wave of lassitude swept through her. Suddenly, she realized just how late it was. Despite that though, she couldn't help thinking. "_Oh Ranma. I would walk forever with you._" Squeezing the red-head, Kasumi said, "Of course I can."

"Great! I know a place where we can crash for the night."

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When Kasumi heard that Ranma knew of somewhere they could sleep, she had just assumed that the martial artist was going to stop at a park or vacant lot in which to camp. Never, not in her wildest, most tawdry, of dreams did she expect him o bring her to a love hotel.

"Um Ranma. I know I said some things back home, but this isn't the place I had in mind," she squeaked.

"Wha," ask Ranma dumbly as he looked at Kasumi then the place he had brought them. Suddenly, he saw what she must have. "Ack! No! I mean I wouldn't mind, but not here." He continued babbling incoherently for well over a minute until she gently touched his arm.

As soon as he began freaking out, Kasumi was sure that everything was on the level. "Its okay Ranma, I understand."

In one breath, the panic left him for soothing calm. He had been so sure he would get Kasumi's equivalent of the hammer, a frown. Instead, she graced him with a genuine smile. "Oh good!" With that crisis over, Ranma, with Kasumi in tow, walked inside.

As the couple entered the lobby, they were caressed by the warm air being pumped through the establishment. To Ranma's surprise, at the front desk sat the owner, one Hiroshi Daijobi. "What're you doin' up Mr. Daijobi?"

Looking up from his paper, Hiroshi smiled at his visitor "Ranma m'boy! As long as I have customers, I can not sleep. It is the code," he proclaimed proudly. Looking up at he clock, he saw just how late it was. "Why are you here at this ungodly hour? And with such a lovely traveling companion?"

Kasumi blushed at the stranger's complement. "Thank you."

"Merely telling it how I see it," he replied cordially. Looking back over to the red-head, he quirked an eyebrow. "Well?"

"We're leaving."

That was all Hiroshi needed to hear. Today was long in coming, he was just happy that Ranma appeared to be in good spirits. "I understand. Though Mariko will probably be disappointed."

Ranma barked out a laugh. "Yes, well what girl wouldn't miss this manly body." As a follow up to his bout of pride, Ranma struck a pose emphasizing his generous bust line, and his killer curves.

Hiroshi couldn't help but snicker at the young man's antics. Still laughing, the innkeeper reached down and pulled a certain set of keys from its hook. Without looking like he had even moved, Hiroshi tossed he jagged bit of metal towards Ranma. "Here, your rooms' ready."

Snatching the keys out of the air, Ranma nodded. "Thanks." Thinking he conversation done, the martial artist savant began to lead Kasumi to their refuge for the night.

"Hey Ranma," called out Hiroshi.

Looking back at his friend, he said, "Yeah?"

"As long as my family runs this place, you and yours will always have a place here."

Ranma couldn't help but smile at the mixture of conviction and determination in that promise. So, taking his hand from Kasumi, he turned and bowed low. "Thank you."

"Yeah yeah," he said sarcastically. "Now get along you two." At that, Hiroshi picked up a copy of the daily paper and began thumbing through it.

Though others may have, Ranma found no offense in Hiroshi's actions. As long as he had known him, the innkeeper had always been an odd one. But he could see that the older man meat well. So, with a smile and a nod, Ranma turned back and took Kasumi's hand in his own.

For her part, Kasumi was positively buzzing with curiosity. Other than the friends who attacked the dojo, and the occasional adventure, she was beginning to realize that she knew rather little about the man whose life she had tied to her own. And, instead of that thought terrifying her, it made her treasure the opportunity she had all the more. Despite that though, she was willing to let him tell his tale on his own schedule. "_Besides,_" she though with a tired smile, "_he's just as exhausted as I am._"

With practiced ease, Ranma navigated his way through the serpentine labyrinth of corridors. Eventually, he stopped at a door at the end of one particularly long hall. In golden numbers, 268 was proudly scrawled across the wooden surface. For those who frequented the establishment, the room had another name, "Ranma's Suite."

The room wasn't exactly he biggest ever conceived by the mind of man. It did have a shower, and a king-sized bed, and for Ranma that was more than enough. Kasumi took in all this and more as she sat her pack down on the bed. Behind her, she heard the unmistakable sound of running water, followed by a masculine sigh of relief. Half-turning in that direction, she saw that her boyfriend had once again adopted the rugged physic of his male form. "Feeling better?"

"Much," he sighed happily. "Its good to have all the right parts in the right places."

Turning completely to face him, Kasumi leaned against his hard chest. "Mmm," she purred as she ran a slender hand across his muscles. "I agree." Suddenly though, Kasumi ceased her ministrations and looked Ranma in the eye. "I meant what I said before though. I love your other side just as much as I do this one. Never forget that."

"Thanks," replied Ranma, his voice thick with emotion.

"You're welcome. But we have a problem."

The sudden change in topic both confused and worried Ranma. "What's up?"

"I forgot to pack any night clothes," she admitted with embarrassment.

"Oh." Without any biding, a mental image of a naked Kasumi popped into his head. That glorious scene died a horrible death at the hands of a mental representation of Akane bashing in his skull for being a pervert. "I guess you could wear one of my spare silk shirts."

"Thank you. That sounds wonderful."

To procure the garment in question, Ranma was forced to break away from Kasumi and walk towards his pack. Upon reaching it, he began to rummage through its contents in search of the perfect shirt. He soon found it about half way down. It was a perfect on for her. Not more than a month ago had Kasumi given him the sea-green garment to replace one that had been destroyed in a fight.

Shirt in hand, he began to turn back towards Kasumi to hand her the garment. In the midst of the turn, the unmistakable sound of a zipper being opened proudly rang out through the room. As it entered his mind, the sound acted as some sort of post hypnotic command. Ranma suddenly found that his body was no longer obeying the commands he was frantically sending. Instead, he just kept turning until he faced her fully. With perfect clarity, his blue eyes took in every minute detail of what lay before him.

Oh so slowly, the eldest Tendo daughter lowered her pants. She could feel Ranma's eyes following every movement she made. Instead of the embarrassment such knowledge would have engendered in her just a few days ago, Kasumi felt a surge of boldness. Once the tight jeans were off, she used one of her long, slender, legs to kick the item towards him. When it hit him, she could barely contain a giggle. "_Oh my god_," she though merrily, "_look at him. I bet his brain would explode if I took off my panties._" That though tempted her greatly, but she reluctantly pushed it aside in favor of removing her shirt.

"_Holy crap! She's taking off her shirt,_" cheered Ranma mentally. At first, he had desperately tried to look away. That lasted until the moment Kasumi stood up and proudly stood with her lower half covered with only a narrow pair of white satin panties. Somewhere at the back of his mind a small, feminine, voice groused that Kasumi looked better in them than he would. Said voice was ignored by the rest of Ranma as he gleefully watched the display.

In all his years, Ranma had seen many a woman in various stages of undress. A brief stint as a bouncer at a bordello to pay of Genma's debt to a Yakuza-owned bar had done much to desensitize young Ranma to the sight of female flesh. Don't think such images provoke no reaction, he just didn't feel the need to jump the first half-naked thing with boobs like those numbnuts at Furinken. Once the curse hit, women like Shampoo stood no chance in hell in getting him to slip his control and screw them. Now though, as inch by inch Kasumi exposed more of herself to him, Ranma felt that control slipping at a breakneck pace.

As Kasumi's perfect breasts came into view, Ranma felt his hands twitch with anticipation. "_Oh god, I've got to touch them._" Suddenly the memory of what she had done to him back at the dojo came up. It had felt so good and, when her hands pulled away, he had felt his whole body ache for her touch. The memory of her giggles evoked a certain evil thought within him. It was almost blown away though by what she did next.

Reaching behind her, Kasumi deftly unhooked her bra. Catching the satin garment just before it fell to the floor, she looked at Ranma with a blush. "I hope you don't mind, but I can't sleep with one of these on."

Before he could stop it, he nodded knowingly. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Its so damn uncomfortable for me to wear one in bed too." Finally, Ranma's brain caught up with his mouth and he quickly slammed both hands over the offending orifice.

Kasumi smiled, "Don't you just hate how bound up they feel when you do that?" Her first reaction had been to laugh at his slip up. But upon further consideration, the eldest Tendo daughter decided to take a more friendly route with the conversation. "_I should probably be creeped out by this, but I'm not. Why does it comfort and arouse me to talk about our bras?_"

Again, the words came without real thought. "Hell yeah. I mean they hurt when they bounce alla round, but just standing or laying down it feels great to just let it all hang out."

"You mean like this," she asked seductively as she allowed gravity to take hold of both her bra and her breasts.

"_So that is the perfection the monk's talked about_," thought Ranma lustfully as he drank in the sight of her mostly naked form. He was almost tempted to just stand in place and admire the present view, but that prior malicious thought popped up once more. "Oh yes," he growled out throatily. Sliding towards her, he used his superior speed and agility to get behind her. "A lot like that." Taking the shirt in both hands, Ranma clumsily attempted to put it on Kasumi. Silently, she aided his efforts by sliding her arms into the sleeves as he offered them. All that was left was to secure the ties along the shirt's front. This was preformed with the same agonizing slowness she had adopted when she disrobed, all the while Ranma ensured that he was pressed tightly against her. As his fingers neared the swell of her bosom, they lingered and slid across the slick fabric. By that point he gave up any pretense of securing the shirt and just concerned himself with gently kneading her flesh. "You know," he whispered hotly, "what you did in your room was really mean."

From every corner of her being, Kasumi was bombarded by pure pleasure. Ranma's menstrations to her chest sent zings of ecstasy throughout her soul. As her back was pressed tightly against him, what truly turned her on was something no fevered fantasy could have imagined, the hard rod sandwiched between the two of them. To her mind, it was as if she could feel every ridge and bulging vein in that most male of organs. Though she had thought about such things in the past, actually feeling it against her round rear only served to magnify the pleasure from elsewhere. It no longer mattered that she wanted to wait a little while before making love to Ranma, she needed him now. "Oh god Ranma," she moaned, "I've been sooo bad. Please punish me."

Unseen by Kasumi, Ranma smiled evilly. "Oh, I will. Just remember, you asked for it."

As she waited anxiously for that final push over the edge, Kasumi felt Ranma release his hold on her completely. The loss of his heat and his hands on her flesh was as painful as if he stabbed her in the heart. Turning to him, she half begged, half sobbed out, "Why?"

Seeing the loss and hurt etched into her face made Ranma feel like the lowest of the low. "I_ was just trying to joke with her_," he thought frantically. "_Oh god! What do I do? WHAT DO I DO_!?" Suddenly he heard Nabiki's voice in the back of his mind. "_Kiss her, hug her, apologize, do anything stupid. Otherwise your great-grandchildren will be broke._" Having no other ideas, he reached out and gently pulled Kasumi to him. With tears in his own eyes to mirror those in Kasumi's, he said, "I am so sorry." Ranma followed his apology with a quick, but heart-felt kiss on the lips.

With the embrace, all was forgiven in her eyes. That forgiveness allowed the powder keg of her desire to explode in a glorious display of ecstasy. Though she was still kissing Ranma, Kasumi could not restrain the moan that escaped from her as her body shook in the throws of pleasure. Her climax seemed to last forever, but when it did finally ebb into a pleasant glow she opened her eyes and saw the look of concern on his handsome face. "If all our kisses are going to be like that, then I may just glue myself to you. By the way, apology more than accepted."

Kasumi followed up with a cute little yawn. Seeing it warmed his heart, "Thanks. I guess we should get to bed."

"Mmmm," she nodded sleepily. "I agree."

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Author's Notes: WOW! This really was a wild chapter for me. For those who have read my oneshot, Of Furos and Memories, this prologue would have led to a Sailor Moon fanific where Ranma and Usagi get together. When I started writing this I had planned out a great deal of the story. Even in Furos, the girl that walked in on Ranma was Usagi. That whole plan hit a rather large snag though. As I was writing the scene were Kasumi thinks she is saying goodbye to Ranma it got away from me. You see, the way I write I tend to try to get into a particular character. Usually all this means is that I give various people their own motivation and voice. In this instance though, I stopped writing the story and Kasumi and Ranma took over. It just felt so right, them being together, and the more that was written the more right it felt. It actually got to the point where I felt so into it that I couldn't leave Kasumi alone just so that Usagi could get Ranma. The very thought made me feel dirty. So, after a rather copious amount of cussing, I scrapped about 99 of the original story. I'm still sticking with the crossover, but aside from that, I am going in a whole new direction. And I feel that this new story will be a lot better than the one I had intended. Though I will continue to let the story tell itself, I don't foresee another complete shakeup occurring. According to the new plan, I can assure you all that Ranma will not be the uber super guy. I mean he will be kick ass, but there is a line between awesome and redonkulous. I hope not to cross that line.

Now, I am sure everyone and their brother is foaming at the mouth in regards to the portrayal of Ranma and Kasumi in this work. Yes, I did get them together quickly, but sometimes that happens in life. Sometimes all you need is to see someone in a different light and then all of a sudden all the pieces fall into place and you know that the person standing in front of you is the one you have prayed for all your life. I will not apologize for that, and anyone who has a problem with that should probably stop reading. Another issue I foresee is the way the couple interacted in this chapter. I realize that it is highly OOC, but that is the point. Originally, Ranma ½ was targeted to boys in elementary and middle school. What that means is you end up with one dimensional characters who are more character traits on a RPG sheet and less of a real character. In the manga and anime, Ranma was a clueless simpleton when it came to women and Kasumi was the vapid housekeeper who was immune to the chaos whirling around her. These are interesting starts, but a fully formed character they are not. For this fic, I want to attempt to write them all the characters, Ranma ½ and Sailor Moon alike, as realish people. And real people, especially of the ages we are talking about, are sexual creatures. Kasumi is a woman, and Ranma a man. Both have long suppressed their core in order to please the world around them. As soon as Ranma asked her to come along, Kasumi is operating under pure euphoria. I've been in something of a similar state, and if such a situation presented itself I may have acted as open as she does in the chapter. I will pull her back some since that initial high will be replaced by reality, but the genie is out of the bottle and I'm not going to put him back. So get used to a Kasumi who kisses, touches, yearns, has orgasms and the whole nine yards.

As for Ranma, well he is coming off a severe emotional low, one that I think he would have reached if it was anyone but Rumiko Takahashi writing the story. He is still questioning his manhood and what it means to be a man who can also be a woman. With Kasumi's revelation of her feelings, Ranma sees a real, and uncompromised, love. Not only does he fall for her, but, whether he knows it or not, he is latching onto her as a stabilizing factor during a time where the rest of his life is inherently unstable. This isn't to say that he is using Kasumi, his actions are genuine, but they are also emboldened by an unconscious desire to prove himself to the one person who, in his mind, never judges him. Further, Ranma is a guy and I don't care how thoroughly Genma worked to keep him away from girls, I can't realistically imagine that a male of Ranma's age would have zero interest in women. I am using the bordello bits from Furos in this story so that adds more dimensions to his character. Don't worry, he isn't going to become a sex fiend any more than Kasumi is, but they are young adults in a loving relationship, so expect further physicality between the two.

Finally, for those of you who enjoy my other works, I have not given up on them. It is just that my muse has decided that it will advise on this right now. Given its capricious nature, I expect that it will switch back to the other two stories at a moment's notice. So courage.

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People.


	2. The Next Morning

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Pre-Author's Notes: First of all, I would like to say, Holy Shit. When I posted the prologue I anticipated one to three reviews, most of which would have had death threats due to the oocness of the story. Never, not in my wildest dreams, did I expect the response I received. I can only say how deeply moved I am at all the positive outflowing of emotion I am seeing. Thank you all, seriously. But, I will say one thing. Do you know how much freaking pressure I'm under now?! I mean I expected to skate by with just a normal amount of work. Now though, I actually have to do well! What a mind job. I promise to try my best with this story, but try to restrain the humongous hopes you have. Last chapter may have been some gigantic accident. Honestly, I did not feel it as much when writing this chapter. It is quite obvious to me that I did not actually write the last chapter, someone else must have. And now they have fled, leaving me with the consequences. ha ha Now you all may love it, but I thought I should warn you.

Also, there are two versions of this chapter. If you are reading this on then you have the N2 (Non naughty) version. If you want to read that hit my site. For you good people on , other than one scene, there is no difference between the two chapters. So you will only be missing out on some hankey pankey. I was just worried it would be too extreme for the censors, hence the two versions.

Finally, this chapter is dedicated to all those who gave such splendid reviews on . Again, thank you. I hope you all enjoy this latest installment.

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Chapter 1 – The Next Morning

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Waking up is an odd thing. Sometimes the tiniest of sounds is enough to rouse one from their slumber. On other occasions, not even an atomic holocaust would be suitable to the task of awakening some soul or another. For Nabiki Tendo, wakefulness was usually closer to latter rather than to the former. And, when someone finally came along to wake her up, it usually took a nice long soak in the furo and several jolts of caffeinated goodness to really get her mind to a point approaching consciousness. In the last year, that comfortable routine had been disturbed by the incessant martial activities of the Saotomes. By her reckoning, such exuberance in the morning was an affront to all good, decent, sleeping, people.

Affront it may be, Nabiki had gotten used to their fighting thanks to a year of familiarity. Though the elder Saotome was a lazy bum when it came to most things, he was very punctual on matters of training. In fact, he was so regular that the middle Tendo's internal clock had come to depend on those sounds of combat as signal to wake up. Today though, there were no cries of outrage, no smacks of flesh pounding mercilessly against flesh, there was only an eerie quiet, and so Nabiki slept peacefully. Finally, after an especially long time, the bliss of unconsciousness slowly faded in the light of a new day. For a moment or two, she groaned and rolled over in a desperate attempt to regain that previous existence. Suddenly though, a feeling of unease pierced the haze of her morning battle and she found herself instantly awake and alert.

As if an air raid siren was blaring outside, she leapt from under her covers. To her horror, as her left foot met the ground it found no purchase and she began to slide wildly. It was only her constant stretching exercises that kept her from falling painfully to the floor. Still, the incident left her splayed out on the ground, her nearly naked body on display to anyone who may come in at that moment. For her dignity's sake, no one came in and she slowly stood and put on the shirt she had deposited on her desk chair the night before. With the garment in place, Nabiki looked at her floor to see what had nearly killed her not a moment earlier. Seeing a sheet of paper, she muttered, "What the hell? I thought I had cleaned up last night." For the most part, she left the cleaning to Kasumi, but for papers Nabiki ensured that she kept track of that sort of thing. One never knew when incriminating documents could be left out in the open.

That thought in mind, she bent over and retrieved the offending document. Unfolding it as she stood, Nabiki immediately knew it wasn't one of her papers. "_Kasumi wrote this. The writing is so obvious._"

_Dearest Nabiki_,

_By the time you read this I will be far away from where you are. As we both feared, Ranma has finally reached his limit. He's leaving, and I don't know if he will ever return. Nabiki, I was so afraid to say good bye to him without telling him how I felt that I just flung myself at him. I know you think that I am foolish for falling for him, but when he asked me to come with him I couldn't say yes fast enough And, even if you are right, and it will never work, at least I took the step towards a life of my own like you have been telling me to do. I don't know where Ranma is going to take us, but when we get there I will send a message to your personal box. I just beg you to tell no one where we end up. I don't think he would last if the chaos of his life followed him. _

_Tell father that I love him, and do the same with Akane. I am sorry Nabiki, I know what terrible position I have left you in. But I have faith that you will see it through.. And, if it gets too bad, I hope that you will come and join us. The fresh start will do you good too._

_Love,_

_Kasumi_

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In her life, Nabiki had done many terrible things, and, thanks to her impeccable memory, she could remember every one of them. She had gleefully sold out her family just to get a nicer dress or the latest pair of shoes. "_And don't forget about poor Ranma_," added a part of her which sounded suspiciously like Kasumi. She had treated the martial artist like crap. In the short time he had been at the dojo, she had done things to him that were beyond the pale. No one could stop her. Either they were unwilling, too stupid, or she had already found some dirt on them. So she had been allowed to run amok.

The culmination of her unceasing avarice was the total ruination of the dojo. She had only wished to earn a quick buck and pawn off the various presents. What she got was bombs and mayhem. In light of the horror that had followed her after that day, the events as they occurred only provided a source of cheap amusement. Not even the unending tide of tears was enough to crack the ice around her heart. As usual in Nerima, it was Ranma who had dealt the death blow to her spirit. And the delicious irony was that he had no clue what he had done to her.

She could still remember that moment as clearly as if it was happening right now. It had been the day after the wedding and, as usual, Ranma had been left to clean up what everyone agreed was his mess. For her part, Nabiki had been upstairs, counting the money and figuring out the worth of the remaining undamaged gifts. Just as she starting appraising one of the toasters that had been given, Ranma knocked at her door. He had found several letters in the rubble of the dojo and one had been addressed to her. With a wince, she remembered how she had made him pay her a delivery charge even though he had done all the work.

The envelope was yellow with age, but Nabiki knew instantly who had written it. Even though she had not seen it in ages, her mother's handwriting was something that was forever burned into her memory. Not a living soul, besides her, would ever know the entire contents of the letter, but Nabiki had revealed certain things to Kasumi. Her mother had seen the early makings of the woman she was to become. Though an illness, invisible until it was too late to treat, had taken her, the Tendo matriarch apologized to her young daughter for not being there to help stop the downward moral spiral Nabiki was to take. And finally, the dying woman hoped that the letter would shake something within her daughter's soul and that the good girl she had been could return to the light.

Long ago, when her mother had died, Nabiki had never cried. She just wound up all that pain and shoved it into the deepest pit of her soul. Since then, every instance of grief, every twinge of conscience, had been pushed down to join that initial mote of sorrow. But her mother's words, written out for her to see, set it all free in a torrent which continued to scar her psyche. When Kasumi had found her, Nabiki had been curled up on the floor where she had fallen. Even though she had been at it for nearly three hours, the tears continued to fall. She had always known that she was a horrible woman. Now she felt it.

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Since that day, Nabiki had tried like hell to crawl herself out of the pit she had wrought for herself. It was slow going, and old habits made it even slower. But she was sincerely trying to make it so that, when she looked in the mirror, she could see herself and not the monster everyone knew her to be. Though others always doubted her intentions, she tried to do good by them. She actually began to talk to Kasumi. Her sister had been a huge help in her journey and Nabiki tried to reciprocate as much as she could. It made her feel good to know that Kasumi was placing all her faith in her. And, who knows, maybe Kasumi was right. Maybe an escape was the next step she needed to take on her road to redemption.

"Way to go sis," she mumbled with a smile. Carefully folding up the note, she placed it with the one from her mother before getting ready for the chaos which was sure to come.

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Feeling that there was not enough time for a long soak that day, Nabiki settled for a quick shower. As she dried herself off, she could not help but marvel at the silence of the house. Despite the lateness of the morning, she was the only one up. "Another job Kasumi did that I never knew about," said Nabiki with a touch of awe as she climbed the stairs. With little finesse, she awoke the remaining occupants of the household before ordering each to assemble at the dining room table. Not bothering to worry about them past the initial call to get up, she headed for the kitchen to procure some much needed coffee.

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One could say, with a fair degree of certainty, that Akane Tendo was not the most perceptive human evolution had ever produced. But, as she sat in her usual spot at the table, she couldn't help but feel that something was seriously wrong. Nabiki had never woken her up before, it was always Kasumi who made the rounds. And her face had been so severe, yet another oddity. Luckily, her thoughts did need to go far to find a cause for the unusual occurrences, Ranma was gone.

After a year of constantly blaming him, it was so easy to fall into the old patterns. Without missing a beat, Akane's mind rapidly began to run through every possible scenario. Some of them involved her, Ranma, and a large vat of lemon Jello. But they were sadly cast aside for the more probable ones where he touched someone other than her. This only heightened her ire, especially in light of the aforementioned Jello ones. So it was that, by the time Nabiki came out holding a steaming cup of joe, she had worked up a sizable rage.

"Alright! Just where is that pervert!"

As per the standard operating procedure established in the last year, Soun and Genma immediately began decrying Ranma. That Kasumi was missing had gone completely unnoticed by the bumbling duo. Though the antics of the fathers angered Nabiki, what really infuriated her was that no one seemed to even care that Kasumi was at the table. But, unlike Akane, she was well versed in the arts of control. With a calm to put the Soul of Ice to shame, Nabiki sat at her usual place. She gave the peanut gallery a few more moments of crying time before letting loose with a loud, piercing, whistle.

"Okay! Everyone here just shut up. Unless I speak to you directly, I will make your lives a living hell." She didn't like it, but the Ice Queen was needed here. And for Kasumi, she would play the part to the hilt. Genma and her father looked like they would have said something to rebuke her, but their protests were quelled by a scathing glare. "Now, I am sure that none of you have noticed, what with the schools on the line and all, but Kasumi is gone." Gasps of shock echoed through the room, but Nabiki did not halt in her monologue. "That's right, she left last night, along with Ranma. It seems as if both of them have gotten fed up with life here. I don't know when or if either of them will be back. But cheer up," she said rosily, "at least if they do come home there is a good chance that the schools will have been joined." By then, the fathers could no longer contain their ire and began shouting at her.

No one in the room cared about the upside that Nabiki had painted. In the case of Akane, she hadn't heard anything since her sister had revealed that Kasumi left with Ranma. For as long as she could remember, that had been her deepest fear. Kasumi was so good, and beautiful, what guy wouldn't want her. Especially compared to her, the martial artist tomboy. She had been afraid of it when she had a crush on Doctor Tofu, and now it appeared as if she should have feared the same about Ranma. To her mind, it was as if the entire universe had suddenly cracked wide open beneath her. Fleeing its yawning maw with all of her might, Akane ran upstairs at lightning speed. Gone unnoticed the entire time were the tears silently pouring down her face.

Even as she was bombarded on both sides by the father's angry retorts, Nabiki focused on Akane's retreating form. It hurt her to do that to the younger girl, but she really needed to get a sense of perspective. Hopefully, this most recent heartbreak would provide just the catalyst she needed. "_I am so sorry sis_." Once Akane had disappeared up the stairs, Nabiki's soft expression grew hard once more. "Listen up you two. Things are going to change around here. I am not Kasumi, and I will not coddle you all like she did. That means chores. And you damn well better do them, otherwise I'll disappear into the night and you will be screwed. Got me."

"Tendo, are you going to let your daughter talk to us like that?" Genma was furious. His meal ticket had skedaddled without leaving a single trace of where he could be heading to.

"Quite right," replied the mustached man forcefully. "Nabiki, that is not the proper way to respect your elders."

"You're right. But until you do something worthy of respect that is how its going to be. Now one of you better get off your lazy butt and make some breakfast." With that, the conversation was concluded. At least it was in her mind.

"Nabiki, when will you start looking for them," asked Soun rather pitifully.

"I won't. And if I do ever find out where they are going, you two would be the last to know. Now, breakfast!" To prevent any further discussion on the matter, she got up and headed out of the room. There were calls to make, people to inform, and betting pools to start.

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In room on the outer edge of Nerima, a young man stirred from a restful slumber. On a normal day, Ranma would have found himself flying through the air on an arc which would have placed him in the Tendo family pond. In such situations, an instant awakening was needed for the split-second maneuverings that allowed him to maintain his masculinity. Though, Genma was far away at the moment, his programing remained within his son's mind. So, instead of waking up slowly like most people, when consciousness intruded upon Ranma, it did so like a freight train.

Within moments, he knew something wasn't in the norm. Tightly pressed against his body, was the curvaceous form of a female. A quick opening of his eyes showed that it was not Shampoo; the mass of brown hair was enough to tell him that. It also reminded him of what had occurred last night and who was currently sharing the bed with him. His companion identified, certain other details were brought to his attention. One such item was that the soft, warm, object currently ensconced in his had was not, as he first thought, a pillow. It was, in fact, one of Kasumi's perfectly sculpted breasts. This fact immediately made another piece of information all the more important. Apparently, sleep had allowed a loss of control and thus Ranma was paid a visit by an embarrassing morning visitor. Currently, said body part was pressing firmly against Kasumi's shapely rear. Though he had shared some rather physical moments with her last night, there was something about the situation which triggered his Akane-honed anti-pervert reactions. With a frightened, "Eeep," he attempted to jump away from the compromising position.

For over a year he had had many a lady wrap themselves around him. Though there were others, Shampoo was the most glaring example of a woman's ability to totally confine him with nothing more than a par of arms and legs. Yet, no matter the level of skill displayed by those prior captors, they paled in comparison to the hold Kasumi had managed to conjure up. Even though she was pressed against his front, the eldest Tendo daughter somehow intertwined her legs with his. And as for the hand on her breast, well that was secured firmly by her hand on top of his own. While the majority of his mental processes were devoted to extricating himself, there was a portion which had to marvel at how strong of a hold she had on him despite her lack of prior training. Just as he was about to try again, he was stopped by the gentle words of the woman who so masterfully held him.

"Please, don't go," she asked softly, in an almost pleading fashion.

Though she woke up later than was her custom, Kasumi had awoken long before Ranma did. Where as he had freaked out with the realization of his position, she had smiled happily. Every morning of her life Kasumi had awoken without another soul in her bed. She had certainly never entered consciousness with someone else's hand firmly ensconced on her breast. Yet, it all felt perfectly natural. It was as if this was the way she always greeted the morning. After a few minutes of just laying there and enjoying his warmth, a memory intruded upon her thoughts. The information came from one of the scenes she had witnessed in the depths of Ranma's eyes. Having nothing better to do, Kasumi slowly recreated the positioning her other self had done on countless occasions. As a result, not only would it prove quite impossible for her beloved to escape, it had the delightful side benefit of forcing that firm hardness against her in a most pleasurable way.

As she heard him stir from his slumber, Kasumi surreptitiously tightened her hold on him even further. The increased activity of his hand against her chest was most unexpected, but it was certainly a welcome experience. That was especially so when she felt him grow larger. But a cold splash of water was thrown on those feelings when he tried to get away.

"But, I'm pokin' ya. Its not right," he tried to explain weakly.

"Ranma, I am going to turn around now. I want you to promise me that you won't go anywhere."

His conditioned response urged him to try and break free again, but the new feelings stirred within him last night suppressed that. "I, I promise."

With those words spoken, Kasumi began to undo her hold on him. She did so safe in the knowledge that he would not leave, no matter how terrified he may be. Even so, Kasumi went about her task with the utmost urgency. It felt cold, being apart from him. As she moved, the Tendo daughter could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Reaching out with an arm, she gently pushed him on his back before draping herself across his form. To her delight, Kasumi could tell that he was just as nervous and aroused as she was. "_It wouldn't take much_," she thought hotly. "_Just a word, and maybe a well timed grope and you can have him in you faster than he eats a rice ball_." To know just how close she was to obtaining that most ultimate of prizes made her squirm exquisitely. Operating on the hair's edge like this was a totally new situation for her, but luckily the panic in Ranma's eyes was enough to keep her from going too far.

"Ranma," though she tried to speak normally, it came out in a sensual purr. "Are you a man?"

That question pierced through the haze of fear with its unexpectedness. "Of course I am," he asserted hotly.

"And am I a woman?"

From his angle, alongside the feel of her body against his, Ranma was quite sure of the answer to that question. "Y, yeah," he stuttered around the lump which had suddenly formed in his throat.

"After last night, I am sure you know that I find you attractive." This was said as she slowly ran her hand across the tight muscles of his stomach. "But do you feel the same way about me?"

Though she had maintained the same lusty tone throughout it all, there was something about that last question which told him that there more behind it that just her proving a point. As she ran her hands across his body, Ranma moved to reciprocate. Gingerly, but building confidence as he went on, Ranma placed his had against her back and slowly began rubbing it in circles. "You're the most beautiful gal I've seen Kasumi."

"Mmm," she moaned in time with his caress, "good answer." Looking up into his eyes, she made sure she had his complete attention. "Ranma, when two people, especially a man and a woman, are attracted to one another, its proper to do things like this."

"But, but, my thing."

"Is a natural part of your body," countered Kasumi firmly. "And," she added as she reached down to softly rub his length, "its one I happen to enjoy."

"R, really?" Ranma's voice squeaked so high, it sounded almost like his girl form.

"Yes. And since we are together, its okay for us to touch each other. That is what healthy relationships do."

"But Akane always said," he moaned weakly.

"Did she ever do anything like this with you? What you did to me last night in this very room, would you have ever done that to her?"

"Hell no! She would have clobbered me into next Tuesday."

"Then why did you do it to me?"

That brought Ranma's mind to a screeching halt. Why did he do that? It was so unlike him. Yet he had just gone right ahead and touched Kasumi in places where he had never willingly touched a female before. Almost unbidden, the words began to tumble from his mouth. "I don't know, it just felt right I guess. I mean you were doing it to me and I liked it, so I guess I thought it was only fair to do the same to you."

"Exactly, you shared your pleasure with me. That's what couples do, they share."

"And we are a couple," asked Ranma with a touch of awe. In his entire time among the ladies of Nerima, relationships and sharing never entered the same conversation. To him, the entire concept was foreign, yet, after last night, it was tantalizing.

The light blush she had sported during the whole conversation had deepened until in encompassed her entire body. "If you want to be," mumbled Kasumi.

He didn't know what it was, the smallness of her voice, or the promise of things to come, but Ranma suddenly felt more like a man than he had in years. "Sure I do."

Last night had already put them together in her mind, but Kasumi had feared that the heady emotions had faded with the night for Ranma. Hearing him reaffirm his commitment to her created a massive wave of joy which crashed through her being. "Oh Ranma," she squealed happily before crawling up his body and kissing him passionately. Though it only lasted a minute or so, she made sure that the kiss was worth every second. With some reluctance, Kasumi pulled away to look her paramour in the eye. "If you don't mind, I think we would have some rules in this relationship. So that we both know what the other expects of us."

Upon hearing her suggestion, Ranma quickly nodded his head. Normally, he wasn't one for rules. They got in the way, and he loved to tweak off those who tried to enforce ones that made no sense. But right now, he was on an unsteady footing with all this relationship stuff. Any guidebook was a welcome thing, especially if it ensured that this newest romance was a lot more peaceful than his last one. And, given who he was talking to, Ranma doubted that whatever rules mentioned would be within the realms of reason.

"Okay. Rule one. We're equals. We may be boyfriend and girlfriend, but that doesn't mean one or the other is in charge. It should be a give and take situation."

Ranma nodded once more. "That makes sense." He waited a moment for her to lay down another rule. But her expectant look made him realize that he was going to be able to make some guidelines as well. "Rule two then. No jumping to conclusions. Half the stuff with Akane would've been fine if she just shut her yap and let me explain."

"Agreed. I would have said that if you hadn't," she replied with a smile. "Now my turn," said Kasumi with a giggle. "No matter where we are, if we are in the same place when we go to sleep then we do so in the same bed."

A dark blush suddenly erupted across Ranma's entire face. "Y, ya want to do this again?"

"Why wouldn't I? You make such a wonderful heater. Besides, just thinking about sleeping alone again makes me feel ill."

He had to agree with her there. Now that she mentioned not being together, the thought did to same thing to him. "Okay, I'll give ya that. Its makin' me sick too. But what if my grandparents don't approve?"

"When's that ever stopped you," she asked with a wicked smile.

Ranma barked out a laugh, "Ya got that right."

"But seriously, if they have a problem we can tell them we are engaged."

"No," he replied seriously.

"What," she asked as if she had been shot. "Why not?"

"I've already had more fiances than I can count and they all ended up crazy. I don't want that with ya. Besides," he added with a smile, "when I was engaged I could never do stuff like this."

To her surprise, Ranma gently pressed a nerve cluster on her rear. The feeling sent waves of pleasure straight between her legs. "Oh god Ranma," she moaned. "I take it back, we're not engaged."

"That's what I thought. Now, anymore rules?"

"Not at the moment."

"Oh good, because I think I'm about to burst here ina sec."

The couple stared at one another for a moment before both started climbing out of the bed with frantic speed. Though he was the faster of the two, Ranma only reached the bathroom after Kasumi had closed the door in his face. When asked about this day, he would say with the utmost modesty that he let her win, what with her smaller bladder and all. In reality though, Kasumi just needed to pee more than him and thus , for a brief moment, actually became faster than the wild horse. So, with Kasumi in the bathroom, Ranma was stuck preforming the age old dance to keep the urination gods at bay.

When she had finally finished her activities, the Tendo opened up the bathroom door. Ranma, in an example of desperation, pushed past his newfound girlfriend and slammed the door behind him. Had he gone a tad slower, he may have noticed the white towel draped around Kasumi's right arm. As it was though, all of Ranma's thoughts were dedicated to the task of keeping his bladder from releasing its contents prematurely and reaching that porcelain mecca. Standing before the altar, he found himself in a position many a man had been in before. Though he had to go more than ever, Ranma found himself stuck standing there with zero results. After several agonizing seconds, all the muscles started working properly and he could not help but sigh with relief.

Bladder empty, and order restored, Ranma quickly washed his hands; making sure to use warm water to ensure he retained his masculinity. As he opened the bathroom door, Ranma thought to himself, "I_ think I'll Kasumi take the first shower_." Any further thoughts were cast into a sea of hormones as he turned the corner and saw what she was wearing. While he had been occupied, Kasumi had shucked the clothes she wore to bed and now stood with only a towel to protect her modesty. "Wha? Mmm. Wow!"

A soft giggle escaped her in response to her love's antics. "I was thinking we could take a shower together."

"T, together?"

Kasumi nodded, a blush firmly emplaced upon her features. "Well its late, and I thought that it would speed things up."

"But I boy, girl, you," he babbled with panic.

"Remember, you can also be a girl, Ranma. And I doubt very much that a naked female is much of a mystery to you."

"Its different though."

"I know. But remember what I said, I like you no matter the form. So while you will be enjoying me, I'll be doing the same."

Ranma sighed in defeat. She had a point, "_Besides_," he thought, "_its not like we can do anything, what with us both bein' girls and all_." "Ok," he said softly. "Let's give it a try." As he turned to go back and splash himself, Ranma said, "Just give me a sec to get changed."

"Wait," she said as she took a step towards him.

Her tone was one of pleading, so Ranma quickly turned to face her. "What?"

"There's something I want to do before that." After one halting step, Kasumi stilled the mild tremble which was working its way through her. Feeling no further impediments, she walked up to Ranma and took his arm to pull him into the bathroom with her.

Looking him in the eyes, she said, "Will you please take off your shirt."

Though his doubts were plainly visible upon his face, Ranma did as she asked. "Okay," he said as he tossed the undershirt out into the main hotel room. "What now."

Slowly, and while maintaining her gaze into his eyes, Kasumi reached out with a hand and placed it flat against one of Ranma's rock-hard pecs. "If you don't mind. I'd like to feel you change."

Though the hand against his skin was warm, Ranma couldn't suppress a shiver. What she was asking was terribly intimate, both in the mere act and the implications behind it. "I don't want you to become a man for me."

Kasumi smiled gently and nodded. "I know. But its just such a large part of you, I would like to know what its like. At least as much as I can."

"_She wants to know me_," he thought with awe. Though others had fiddled with the curse in the past, it was always for their own amusement. Not one had asked how it felt to change in any way other than whether or not it hurt. He suddenly felt a lot closer to her than he had a few moments ago. "I would like that too."

Reaching out, Ranma turned on the cold faucet. As the sounds of water rushing filled the room, he never stopped looking at Kasumi. "Now don't blink," he said as he moved his hand towards the stream of frigid liquid. When dealing with his curse, most people assumed that a massive amount of water was needed to perform the change. That was why so many splashed him with bucketfuls of the stuff. But he had found that only a small amount needed to be applied to any part of him to trigger the change. Putting his hand into the stream, he could not help but feel the signs of the rarer slow change. "_Oh good, I was hoping that would happen_," he thought happily.

Almost as soon as the change started, Kasumi knew it. She had been expecting Ranma to just pop into his girl form like he had done on so many other occasions. This time though, he actually shifted, like out of some movie. It still happened rapidly, but she could actually discern individual changes. For this exploration, she had focused all her senses on Ranma's chest. As far as she could tell, the first thing to change were his nipples. These grew quickly in both length and width. Kasumi could actually feel the mass of nerves and ducts swell under her hand as she watched its twin do the same on the opposite side of Ranma's chest. Following those protrusions were the large round breasts which so marked Ranma as a girl. They grew uniformly, and to her it was as if she was seeing a time lapsed series of photos of her own breast development. Within moments of Ranma putting his hand under the water, Kasumi found her own appendage filled with the soft flesh she had caressed the night before. "Oh wow. That was . . . amazing," she gasped as she looked into his eyes.

Though his eyes here pointing at Kasumi, they were no longer seeing her. The sensations he had just felt were unlike any he had ever encountered. Though they lacked the raw pleasure of an orgasm, what he experienced was on that same level. "I felt . . . everything," he gasped in awe.

"Don't you always?"

He heard her words, and a part of him even processed them, but the bulk of Ranma's mind was desperately trying to grasp what had just happened to him. "Not like that," his voice was distant and filled with wonder.

Kasumi grabbed hold of his smooth face. Lines of worry were etched deeply upon her face. "Are you okay?"

Finally, Ranma was able to get past what had just transpired and focused on her. "Yeah," he said with a slight nod of his head. "I'm fine."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"S, sure. I just need to sit down first."

With a nod, Kasumi helped the shaky young woman to the floor. "Better?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Though he was somewhat there, his thoughts were still a jumble. Slowly though, his words began to pour out. "Normally, the change happens before I can notice it. Sometimes, I don't even realize that I've changed until I look down and see my boobs or something. Other times though," he said with swallow, "its not so fast. It's still quick, but like when Toma attacked, it wasn't justa poof. If I am thinking about it, I can feel something more than just a tingle."

"Was this one of those times?" This whole think fascinated her to no end, especially now that she had felt it.

"Hell no. When a slow one hits I might feel a part of me change. I actually felt my hair go red once."

If it was someone other that Ranma, she may not have believed that. Hair normally had no feeling to it. But since it was him, there was nothing Kasumi could discount. "So, you felt it all?"

He nodded absently, "Yeah. It was like everything just slowed down. I could feel every inch of it."

Kasumi cast her eyes down to his boxer covered crotch. A few minutes ago, the fabric there had been tented out by his erection. Now, thanks to a combination of his bountiful curves and the way he was siting, there was no doubt that Ranma was one hundred percent female. "Even down there," she asked with a touch of wonder.

A shudder rippled though his body at the memory. "Oh yeah, I really felt that. The damn thing shrank like it used to in cold water before the curse, but it kept going. Then I could actually feel my girl parts linking up to all the stuff inside me."

When she had come up with the idea, Kasumi never thought that it would so completely affect him. "Ranma. I am so sorry I made you go through with that."

Hearing the sadness in her voice cut through the clutter with a knife forged from his need to protect her. With fierce determination, Ranma shook his head as he brought her face in line with his own. "Don't be Kasumi. There was no way you could know. Hell, I didn't think it was possible. Besides," he added with an odd grin, "I kinda liked it."

"Really?"

"Well . . .yeah. I mean I coulda done without the whole thing down there," he waved at the region in question. "But the rest of it, kinda felt nice. I really liked your hand on me."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, well, I guess we should get that shower."

The sudden change of topics was sort of jarring for Kasumi, but she just put it up to Ranma's low tolerance for mushy stuff. "Okay. That sounds great." Though she had held her towel tightly when she sat down with him, the runaway Tendo made no such effort as she stood.

Watching her stand, Ranma sent a silent thanks to whomever ordered the towels. With her holding it, the short strip of cloth had barley contained her ample beauty. But, as she stood its confines were breached and all of Kasumi's glory was rendered onto him. Thanks to his long experience with the female form, Ranma considered himself an expert on its appearance. To his eye, it was as if the kami had personally shaped the goddess who stood before him. Every square inch of her body was pure perfection. He had known that with last night's viewing. Now though, Kasumi revealed the final piece of flesh which had been veiled the night before.

As she looked down at Ranma, Kasumi felt the heat return to her belly. It was all she could do to not scratch the itch which suddenly plagued her. "Like what you see," she stated huskily.

In the face of such perfection, Ranma did not trust himself to speak. All he could do was nod his head with such force his brains threatened to leak out his nose.

"Good. Now, I think a little quid pro quo is in order. You take those boxers off while I get the shower going." She didn't give Ranma time to respond before walking over him and over to the shower area.

Every movement she made was carefully tracked by Ranma's keen eye. And though his body was currently responding in a feminine way, the martial artist's thoughts were totally masculine. So consumed was he by watching her, Ranma nearly fell over backwards in a attempt to turn his head around enough. Instead of falling though, he used the momentum to flip over then jump to a standing position. The feat may have been more impressive if it hadn't sent his prodigious breasts bouncing all over the place. Ignoring his moving mammaries, Ranma slid the blue boxers over his expanded hips and rear on its way to the floor.

Though her hand was in the water testing its temperature, Kasumi watched Ranma disrobe. Just as the sight of her own naked flesh had entranced her love, so did the display he had just put on. "_Thankfully, I'll be getting a shower soon. I wouldn't want to go through the day like this,_" she thought as she rubbed her thighs together. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Um, but, isn't that water a tad to hot? I may change."

She shook her head. "Don't worry, you've been in water this warm before and not changed. Remember the last time we did dishes together?"

"Oh yeah." Though he didn't do it often, on rare occasions Ranma helped with the dishes and a few other chores. The last time had helped, he had been on rinse duty. Both he and Kasumi were surprised when the warm water did nothing to banish his female form.

Stepping over the side of the shower's built in tub, Kasumi sighed as her feet splashed in the water. "Mmm, that feels good. Come on in Ranma."

As Kasumi fully entered the tub, Ranma slowly followed. Though he really did want this, there was a part of him screaming that he should be anywhere else. Many times in the past, various women had tried to bathe with him, and though he was usually a male at the time, the incidents had no where near the power as what was transpiring at that moment. Somehow he knew that, when he crossed that threshold, he would be walking into a new life. His panic latched onto that and began releasing every flight hormone it knew of. Change had never served him in the past. Now he was about to make the biggest change ever and who knew what shitstorm it would bring.

Just as he was about to cave in to the raw panic assailing his mind, Ranma's eyes caught hold of Kasumi's brown orbs. They were neither the wanton need of Shampoo, nor the idealistic fantasy he had seen so many times in Ukyo. Her eyes held only the promise of warmth and love. Like a laser, it cut through all the gunk clouding his thoughts. Suddenly he realized that, while change could be bad, if he had someone there with him, it could be equally as wondrous. Emboldened by such hopeful thoughts, Ranma took the final step over the edge of the tub and into the shower.

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It was two very satisfied teenagers who left room 268 that morning. As they walked the corridors of the building, it was if they were one person separated by a flimsy barrier of skin and clothing. Those few who they passed on the way out could tell in an instant what the couple had been up to. Both Kasumi and Ranma were practically glowing with love and post coital euphoria, and neither of them cared who knew about it.

Looking up from his paper as the couple entered the lobby, Hiroshi Daijobi couldn't suppress a look of surprise. He had never thought that Ranma would do that. The lad seemed too shy around girls to even attempt such an act. Already Hiroshi's admiration for Ranma's girlfriend was on the rise. Any woman who got the wild horse to go to stud had to be a formidable person. "So! Ranma, my boy, checking out?"

"Yeah, thanks for the room."

"You are more than welcome. As are you my dear," added Hiroshi in the direction of Ranma's companion. "I am sorry for my rudeness last night, but I never asked you your name."

Kasumi waved off the apology. "Oh that is quite alright. You were talking to Ranma, I understand. By the way, my name is Kasumi. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Hiroshi returned the young woman's bow. "It is mine as well. It does this old innkeeper well to see a young man such as Ranma in the company of such a respectful girl as you."

A light blush worked its way across her cheeks at the compliment. "Thank you sir."

"So, Mr. Daijobi. Will ya tell Mariko bye for me."

"Oh no Ranma, you're not throwing me under that train with you. You can tell her yourself." Turning to the door behind him, Hiroshi yelled out. "Hey Mariko! You better get out here before Ranma leaves!"

From the darkened region of the door frame could be heard a loud, screeching, cry of, "RANMA!" Like a miniature missile, a small form dashed out of the darkness before vaulting over the manager's desk. Had Ranma not been there to catch it, the thing would have taken a nasty fall. As its forward momentum came to the object was revealed to be a young girl who was no more than ten years old. Clad in a bright yellow sundress placed over a pair of overalls, the girl looked up at Ranma with wide eyes.

"Hi Mariko."

"Oh Ranma," squealed the girl with glee. "Why didn't you tell me you were here?"

"Sorry Mari-chan, but Kasumi and I were tired when we arrived."

In an instant, the little girl's head turned to take in Kasumi. She had to admit, in that simple way of children, that this Kasumi was an pretty lady, if not a little old for her Ranma. Squirming out of her love's grasp, Mariko walked over to what she accurately perceived as the competition.

As was her nature, Kasumi smiled down at the oddly dressed girl. "Hello Mariko."

"You one of the fiances," demanded the girl as if she were in the superior position.

"Oh heavens no."

"Yeah, that's right Mari-chan. Kasumi here is my girlfriend." That he said the last part without stuttering was a source of pride for the ex-Saotome male.

Mariko looked to her knight with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Girlfriend?"

Ranma had known that the young girl had something of a crush on him. And now, seeing her tear up like that, he wanted to retract that last comment; if only to spare Mariko some pain. "I'm sorry Mari-chan. I'm just too old for ya."

Though her heart was breaking, Mariko put up a brave front for her idol. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she stared up at the strumpet who had stolen her man. "Listen you. You may have his heart now, but if you hurt Ranma I'll kick you in the shins so hard your grandkids will feel it."

Kasumi knew a broken heart when she saw one and nodded her head solemnly. "And I will let you. I am sorry for hurting you."

"Just make him happy and we'll call it even."

"I swear it."

"And you," roared the young girl at Ranma. "Come here."

Without hesitation, Ranma bent down so he was eye level with Mariko. "Yeah?"

The young girl grabbed her love by the face and planted what was, for her at least, a deep kiss on his cheek. "You come back and see me if she hurts you, okay."

Without realizing it, Ranma flashed the same kind of smile that made so many girls fall head over heels for him. "I promise."

"Well good," she mumbled in a bout of sudden shyness. "Bye." With that, she ran back from whence she came to properly deal with her pain.

When Mariko was gone, Ranma smiled sadly at the girl's father. "Sorry about that Mr. Daijobi."

"Don't be Ranma. It was bound to happen eventually. At least she won't be pining for you while you are gone."

"I guess that's something to be thankful for," replied Ranma as he handed over the keys his room.

"Well Ranma," said Hiroshi as he took the keys. "It's been a pleasure knowing you. If you ever come back this way, make sure to stop for a visit."

"Don't worry. I will." Knowing that the conversation was over with. Ranma took hold of his love's hand and walk out of the hotel.

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Author's Notes: Ok, I think this is a good a stopping place as any. This chapter has been hard for several reasons. One is that I don't want to mess this up. Another is the speed with which it was written. And finally there is the naughty area. I had never really done one of those before and I have no idea how it turned out. Don't look for such things often, most of what the pair do will be rather benign. But if this goes over well then I will probably do a work up of when they get together as man and woman. Also, I would like to say that, in my mind, I had intended the naughty section to be maybe a page, not the nearly seven page beast it became.

On Ranma's speech. I am working under the thought that, when he is trying to be serious, especially around Kasumi, Ranma will talk better. There will still be slang and such thrown in, but I want to show he is trying. So if it seems somewhat uneven there is a reason.

As for the Jusenkyo curse and warm water. For this story I am operating under the assumption that a certain temperature must be reached to trigger the change. I am only using these numbers as an example, but, lets say that the female change is triggered by 50 degree water while the male is 95 degrees. The numbers between those two would not trigger a change in either direction. So, even though he is a girl at the time he is splashed with warm water he wouldn't change.

The Nabiki part was interesting for me. As a reader of fanfics, I am a very pro Nabiki person. I love the pair up. But, in doing some reading on the character, I found that the Nabiki in fanfiction is almost nothing like the one in cannon. This is my attempt to bridge the two. She is trying to better herself, but there is the trouble of a family and a school who expect lies and trickery from her. So it is hard on her. Though I am trying to better her, I am not making Nabiki into a completely different person. She will still do the betting pools and run numbers. Not because of the thrill of collecting debts, but for the joy of working out problems and probabilities.

Akane, was probably the hardest Tendo to write for. It is so easy to portray her as a total bitch, especially since I hate her on every level. But I tried to write her anger from a place where she does love Ranma, and in her own way she does want to do perverted things with him. Its just when thoughts of what others could be doing with him that a small spark of anger becomes a bonfire. Don't look for Akane much in this story, but when she is here, I will try to be nice to her.

These two chapters mark the return of my character of Hiroshi Daijobi. For you who have read Converging Paths and No Life Queen and remember him, you get a gold star.

Next chapter should see several things. We should meet Ranma's Grandparents. Some Senshi may make an appearance. And we should see some initial signs that something bad is coming down the pike.

Again. I would like to thank everyone who so kindly reviewed and penned this story. I can only hope that this chapter lived up to the praise of the first.

One final note, to I am the Bane of my sword. My title of "King of the Wicker People" derives from something I saw as a child. Back then, I saw the Tim Burton Batman movie. While at Bruce Wayne's manor, the two reporters played by Kim Baysinger and Robert Wuhl are walking through Bruce's hall of armors. Wuhl's character sees one particularly odd suit and jokes that it must be King of the Wicker People. That has always stuck with me, so as I was searching for a moniker, that was the one I chose.

So enjoy the extravaganza.

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People.


	3. Meet the Alexanders

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Chapter 2 – Meet the Alexanders

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The streets of Nerima were oddly quiet considering the momentous occasion which was occurring. Ranma, nexus of chaos and troublemaker extraodinare, was leaving. Perhaps, the ward was in mourning. With him gone, things would be much quieter. Oh sure, it wouldn't be instant, but eventually the citizens would look around and realize that things were not as they were supposed to be. Whatever the reason, as Ranma and his companion, Kasumi Tendo, crossed into Itabashi, they did so to little fanfare.

Looking at her boyfriend, Kasumi could not help but notice that he had calmed down significantly with their passing into a new ward. "Well, we're out of Nerima. Care to tell me why we are heading to Minato via Itabashi?"

"I don't want the others follown' us. If we go straight to Minato we'd leave a path even Ryoga could follow. I figure I have enough money for the two of us to take the subway'n bus all over the place."

"And hopefully loose them in one other the other wards," finished Kasumi with a smile. The plan was sound enough. For western minds Tokyo was a hard city to grasp. They hear that the place is separated into wards and think it is similar to how cities in America are divided up. A ward to them was no different than downtown, or the west side. But in Tokyo, the various wards were more like small towns who operated independently from one another yet still remained under the larger Tokyo umbrella The ease with which one could get hopelessly lost in the sprawling metropolis was astounding. By actually obfuscating their trail, even an experienced tracker like Shampoo would have a difficult time following them.

For the next several hours, the couple explored the seemingly endless labyrinth that was the Tokyo metropolitan transit system. Though their primary motive was escape, Ranma and Kasumi treated it as a date/adventure. Neither teen had really seen much of the city beyond the boarders of Nerima, so it was the perfect opportunity for some sightseeing. Slowly, they wound their way back and forth through nearly every ward Tokyo had to offer.

It was nearly seven o'clock by the time Ranma and Kasumi finally made it to the Alexander home. The place was positively huge. Without exaggeration, it was at least as big as the Tendo home and Dojo combined and with all he empty space filled. Built in the new style, someone had taken great pains to reduce the coldness of the building with a multitude of foliage.

Kasumi looked over at her love with wide eyes. "Did you know it was this big?"

Ranma shook his head. "Hell no. Mom told me gramps had worked with the ambassador, but I didn't think of this."

"Well, I guess we should go in," offered Kasumi helpfully. But Ranma didn't move a muscle. "Ranma, it will okay."

"How'd you know," asked the pig-tailed martial artist softly. "I mean I aint exactly all hoity toity."

"And I love you for it," she replied as she took his hand. "They will too."

"What if they don't?"

Kasumi smiled, "Then we will march over to the park we passed and set up there."

"Ya'd do that for me?"

"Try and stop me. Now, are you coming, or will I have to drag you?" When he started to laugh, Kasumi felt her heart lighten. To her, Ranma was at his best when he was laughing. That he had done so much of it since last night meant the world to her.

"Okay, okay," he laughed heartily. "I'll go. Not even married an I'm bein' henpecked," grumbled Ranma with a smile.

As they walked up to the front door, Kasumi giggled. "Well I wouldn't want you to go without it."

"Oh great," he groaned.

Stepping up onto the front doorstep, Kasumi pressed the doorbell. As she stood there beside her love, the eldest Tendo tightened her grip upon his hand. "Don't worry," she winked. "I have a good feeling about this."

The couple stood there for a few moments before the door slowly opened. Its opening reveled to the pair a woman. A few strands of gray hair among a mane of auburn and the occasional wrinkle were the only signs of the woman's true age. "Oh, you must be Ranma."

Ranma blinked. "How did you know?"

"You have your grandfather's eyes. Besides, a grandmother knows," she said with a smile and wink. Turning her gaze to Ranma's companion, the Alexander matriarch bowed. "My name is Yori Alexander. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Oh," gasped Kasumi before executing a bow of her own. "I am Kasumi Tendo, and the pleasure is mine Mrs. Alexander."

"Please dear, call me Yori."

Again Kasumi bowed, "I am honored."

"Kasumi, I really hope you are not this formal all the time. We tend to be rather laid back around here."

"Don't see how mom came from ere' then," muttered Ranma.

A film of sadness formed over Yori's eyes. "Nodoka was always wrapped up in her on little world." As quickly as it formed, her depression lifted. "Come now, let's get a look at you." With gentle, but firm, hands she twisted and turned Ranma back and forth as if he were a side of beef. "Hmm, strong lines. Straight back. You certainly lack any of Genma's more negative physical traits."

Used to being manhandled by women, Ranma just smiled and nodded. "Um, thanks. I think."

Suddenly, Yori realized what she was doing and pulled away. In a move that showed irrefutable proof of her relation to Ranma, she scratched the back of her head. "Oh, sorry," laughed the woman embarrassedly. "I get carried away sometimes."

"I'm used to it."

"He really is," added Kasumi helpfully.

"Well, I hope your stay here will be more pleasant. Please, come in." With a wide smile, Yori held open the door.

The inside of the Alexander home was filled with a warmth that the exterior construction lacked. Pictures of loved ones adorned the walls, their smiling faces staring out in silent welcome. Everywhere one looked, there were the signs of love only a lifetime of care can instill in a place. But, like an arctic blast all that warmth was blown away by the icy chill wafting off the man at the far end of entryway.

At nearly six foot, two inches, tall, he positively dominated the space. Closely cropped hair, of an almost electric red, was spotted through with motes of silver. Eyes as blue as glacial ice stared out from underneath a deep brow. The fiery red goatee only added to his severe expression. "So," he said with a cold smoothness, "this is Ranma."

"Joseph Alexander," yelled an outraged Yori. "He is our grandson. And you told Nodoka that he could stay here."

"I said he could stay here. I made no mention of whether or not he would be welcome. This boy," said Joseph as he pointed at Ranma, "may be our daughter's son. But he is also the progeny of Genma. And I will not greet him as family until I have seen for myself whether or not he is an Alexander." Looking to Ranma, the patriarch of the Alexander clan spoke with authority. "Come here boy. If you wish entry into our family you must prove yourself."

Ranma nodded, "I figured it wouldn't be as easy as a phone call." Taking a step towards the man, he found his momentum halted by the slim hand still grasping his own. "Kasumi?"

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, whatever it is? We can still try the park."

"Nah, not my style," he replied with his typical bravado. "If the ol' man wants to test me then let's do it."

"Okay," said Kasumi slowly. With no small amount of reluctance, he young woman released her love's hand and watched him approach his ancestor.

Looking up at his grandfather, Ranma stared defiantly into the man's eyes. The intent was clear, if there was challenge to be held, then he would beat it hand's down. "Right, ol' man. What's the test."

"This." Before Ranma could move, Joseph had gripped the younger man by the head. The boy tried for a moment to fight before he ceased his actions. For Joseph, the way was open. And he delved into Ranma's eyes and swum through his soul.

To Ranma, it was the same sensation that had occurred with Kasumi. There was a falling sensation before he suddenly saw it. But instead of seeing a path not taken, a life not lived, Ranma was transported into the past. He saw the first meeting between the young headstrong Yori Saotome and the quiet Joseph. Before his eyes, the couple slowly fell in love. Ranma paid witness to the fierce shouting matches between the lovers and Yori's father. Then the scenes jumped forward to instances of birth. First there were three wonderful sons. They were followed by a daughter, whose hair matched that of his mother. Time sped by and Ranma saw the children grow to adulthood. He saw a father's pain at loosing his only daughter, not to an illness or accident but to love and pride. Finally, Ranma was treated to visions of Joseph desperately attempting to atone for that one sin by ensuring the remaining family was as happy as could be. In seeing, Ranma knew why Joseph was so cold. For the second time in two days, he actually felt like he knew someone.

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As Joseph grabbed hold of her love's head, it was all Kasumi could do to stop herself from attacking the man in the defense of the one she treasured so. That restraint vanished with Ranma's fighting. With an almost unholy speed, Kasumi hurled herself towards the two men. It was only Yori stepping into her path that brought a stop to the Tendo's charge. In a move that those in Nerima would think her not capable, Kasumi cast a blazing glare at the older women. "Let me go," she roared in a remarkable likeness to Akane.

"Please," begged Yori, "don't interfere."

"What is he doing to Ranma?"

The older woman looked worriedly back at her husband and grandson. "He's judging him."

"How?"

"In the Alexander family, there is a gift. Not everyone has it, but those like my husband can do marvelous things. He can look into your eyes and see your past, present, and sometimes your future."

Kasumi could not suppress a gasp. "Ranma did something like that with me."

Yori stared at the young woman fiercely. "Did he force you?"

"Oh my no. I don't think he knew he could do anything like that."

"What did you see?"

In a surge of emotion, the memories of that event flowed over Kasumi once more. "We saw our life together," she said softly. And, with tears in her eyes, she added in an even softer tone, "And we saw our children."

The Alexander matriarch's expression was one of happiness and awe. "That is very rare indeed. Truly, you two are blessed."

"Thank you." Kasumi looked Yori, to where Ranma was standing. A warm smile parted her lips. "We haven't been together for long, but I don't think I could live without him."

"Alexanders are like that. They get under your skin and you never want them to leave"

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Like the boy in his grasp, Joseph saw the past, but this time from Ranma's life. Every triumph of Ranma's oh so brief existence had been marred by an even greater tragedy. He felt a measure of fear alongside his descendant as Ranma's mind and body were slowly flayed by the terrors of the Nekoken. Joseph was treated to true deprivation and saw how far a human could go with so little to call his own. With Jusenkyo came the curse, and the elder man knew what it was truly like to be a woman in body. Every mis-adventure in the pursuit of a cure was laid before him. As was the nearly insurmountable fear that constantly hounded Ranma. The fear of loosing himself completely to that which he had been raised to look down upon as a symbol of weakness. That fear, saw Joseph, led Ranma to one inescapable conclusion, death must arrive for him before it was too late. But there was a light at the end of the long terrible dark. A light in the form of a most unexpected source. With it, Joseph could see that healing had begun. And with its brilliance, the darkness in Ranma's soul was slowly lifting.

With a gasp from both men, the link was severed and both Ranma and Joseph found themselves back in their own bodies.

As his grandfather's hands released his head, Ranma found his legs were having a hard time supporting his weight. Before he could fall though, Kasumi caught him. Her angelic face was marred by worry for his well being. "Don't ya worry Kasumi. Just a little spaced out there fora sec. But I'm feeln' better now." Though he was able to stand on his own, Ranma kept her close to him. Her arm around his waist gave him a feeling of confidence he was sorely lacking at the moment. That experience, despite his bravado, had really shaken him. When it had happened to Kasumi, the sensations had just flowed. This felt more forced and unnatural.

Unlike Ranma, Joseph seemed unaffected by the ordeal. Looking at the young couple, he could see the powerful bond the two shared. It reminded him a great deal of the love that existed between him and Yori. Straightening his shoulders, he began to pronounce his judgment. "Ranma, in you I have seen many things. I have seen a tarnish slowly form from years of fear and Genma's teachings. But, like all such blemishes, they can been polished away with love and understanding, like the kind I see in the eyes of this young woman. Ranma, I would be honored if you would accept the last name of Alexander and join our family as you should have years ago." For the first time since he appeared in the entryway, the frigid man thawed and he echoed his warm, inviting, surroundings.

The experience still fresh in his mind, Ranma felt as if the man's words were true and heartfelt. "_He really wants me in the family_," he thought happily. Still, there was a question about the woman pressed against his side. "What about Kasumi."

Joseph smiled towards Kasumi. "She is more than welcome here too. And, when the time comes, I will happily welcome her into our family."

Kasumi smiled radiantly and bowed her head. "Thank you, honored grandfather."

"Now Kasumi," admonished the man in a friendly fashion, "call me Joseph. Or gramps if you prefer."

"Thank you Joseph."

"Much better. Now come along, we're all about to have dinner. And we have an opportunity to celebrate," he announced happily.

Ranma instantly perked up, "Food?" As if summoned by the mere thought, his stomach growled like some wild beast.

"Sounds like you brought a healthy appetite," quipped Yori.

"You have no idea," Kasumi replied.

"Yori, be a dear and show Kasumi off to the family. I need to talk to my grandson for a second."

The older woman looped her arm around her counterpart's in a friendly fashion. "Come on dear. Let's let the menfolk have their say," she said with mock seriousness.

Once the woman had left, all the energy seemed to suddenly leave Joseph. The man's shoulders stooped and he looked somewhat haggard. "Ranma, I must apologize."

Said young man tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? What for?"

"As an Alexander, you and I have certain abilities that others lack. I was sworn never to force those powers on another person. And I broke that oath with you. Though it doesn't make any difference, I did it to ensure the safety of my family. Still, I violated a member of my own family, and for that I am eternally sorry."

Such a heartfelt expression of regret was a novelty for Ranma. But he could see that his grandfather really meant what he said. And, unlike Genma, the elder Alexander was actually waiting for Ranma to render a verdict against him. Such actions greatly increased the newly christened Alexander's respect. "Listen, ah gramps. I'm not too good with this stuff, but its okay. You did what you had ta."

Reaching forward, Joseph engulfed his grandson in a hug. "Thank you. I'll try to be a better guardian than your father was."

"I know ya will." Suddenly, Ranma's stomach decided that the focus of attention should be on it, and issued an even louder growl of displeasure.

Joseph belted out a quick laugh at the look of embarrassment on his grandson's face. "We better get you fed before that belly of yours decides to claw free and eat someone."

Even Ranma had to laugh at the image the older Alexander painted. "So that's the pain in my side," he joked as he followed Joseph down the hall.

The trip to the dining room was a short one, just a quick jaunt down the main hall, a right hand turn, and they were there. Back at the Tendos, the space was small but cozy. Here, the room was positively massive. In the center was a enormous table of a western design. Surrounding the oaken surface was a collection of people of various ages and genders. Though all the young people shared Asiatic traits, the levels varied from a slight tinge to the skin to a full blown Japanese national. What was really strange were the eyes, they were all looking at Ranma intently.

With a smile as wide as the world, Joseph placed a hand upon the younger Alexander's shoulder. "Everyone. It is my privilege to introduce my grandson, Ranma. Though he is new to our family, I want you all to treat him as if he had aways been here."

To Ranma's surprise, and delight, the assembly all showed a brilliant smile at the announcement. Some raised a glass in toast, while others cried out a warm greeting. Never in his life had so many expressed such a genuine gladness to see him. "Um thanks," his voice was thick with emotion. Seeing Kasumi's smiling face, he quickly moved over to the empty chair next to her. As he slid into the chair though, a pair of small arms reached out and wrapped gently around his arm. Looking down at the source of the unannounced embrace, he saw a young girl, her teal eyes wide and happy, her mouth turned upwards in a smile. These were framed by a mass of terra cotta colored hair pulled up into short pigtails.

"Hi," whispered the girl happily. "I'm Monica."

"Um hi," mumbled Ranma dumbly. Though the girl was hugging him, as he looked at her, Ranma didn't see any signs of infatuation. Not knowing what to do in such a situation, he looked for aid from the rest of the family. But what he saw gave him pause, the looks of greeting had been replaced by ones of shock and awe. "Did I do somethin' wrong?"

The first to recover from their stupor was a tanned woman with hair the color of spinach. "Monica rarely talks to strangers," she explained.

Next to the woman, a man nodded, "Yeah, it took her almost three months to warm up to my Setsuna." From the way he put his arm around the woman's shoulders, and the look they shared, it was clearly evident that they were madly in love with each other. "By the way," said the man absently, "the name's Justin."

From the right of the couple there came a series of gagging noises. The girl who was making them had to be no more than thirteen. Her maroon hair was wild and her face was the picture of one disgusted with what they were seeing. "Ugh," she groaned. "They're at it again!" After making a few other remarks and unfavorable noises, the girl looked at Ranma with a big ol' toothy grin. "Hey there! Name's Tamiko. Call me Tami or I'll kapowie you into next week."

A slightly older boy next to Tami was desperately trying to quiet the girl, to little effect. "Tami! You're being rude in front of our guests." Though he sat taller than the one he was scolding, the boy seemed smaller. His coke-bottle lenses and drooped shoulders only seemed magnified by the sheer exuberance of Tami.

"Oh come on Daniel," countered Tami. "You heard gramps, Ranma's family. That means I treat him like the rest of you chumps."

The newly unveiled Daniel looked artRanma apologetically. "You must forgive my sister. She seems to think she is the center of the universe."

"That's because I am," she said with no small amount of arrogance.

Daniel sighed and shook his head. "As Tami already said, my name is Daniel. It is an honor to meet you."

Seeing a general trend of introductions, the teenage boy and girl next to Daniel waved as one. "Hi. I'm Kai," said the boy.

"And I'm Cynthia," added the girl.

"As you can see," said Kai as he pointed to his black hair.

"We're twins," finished Cynthia.

Finally, the teenager next to Monica threw out a peace sign and winked. "And last, but surely not least, is I, Marcus. Pleasure to meet a fellow fighter."

Looking at the almost American young man, Ranma was surprised to see that the guy's boast was not all flash and no substance. Though nowhere near his level, he could see that Marcus' ki patterns were well formed. The black hair, and confident smirk reminded Ranma of himself. "What d'ya practice?"

"Mostly the bo, but I threw in some ninjitsu and a spot of stuff I saw on television."

"Now now," interrupted Joseph with a smile, "talk shop later. I take it that you've all introduced yourselves to Kasumi."

Sitting up straight, Daniel nodded with authority. "Yes sir."

"Good man. But less sucking up, you're not getting an extra scoop of ice cream for being considerate."

The young man sighed and snapped his fingers, "Oh well, it was worth a try."

"Yes it was," laughed Yori as she brought in a plate of food.

"Oh," exclaimed Kasumi in shock. "Why didn't you tell me you were going into the kitchen? I could have helped."

Yori smiled and waved dismissively. "Nonsense. You're a guest, I wouldn't want to be rude. Besides, it's my night to cook."

As his grandmother mentioned that Kasumi was a guest, Ranma felt his girlfriend grip his hand tightly. Sharing a quick look with his love, he knew that he would have to be the one to ask the question that was burning in her. "Grandma?"

"Please Ranma, call me Yori, or Gran if must, but don't call me Grandma. Makes me feel like a old woman." She ignored the snickers and comments in favor of staring at her newest grandchild. "What's the matter?"

"I know gramps said it was okay. But, Kasumi can live here right?" He cast a quick glance into Kasumi's loving eyes before continuing. "She shorta left her family for me."

The looks of admiration that were pointed her way deeply shocked Kasumi. She had thought there would be ridicule for doing something so dishonorable. "If it isn't too much of a burden," she said shyly.

"Of course she can stay," exclaimed Yori. It was as if the thought of the young woman not living under their roof was appalling. "From the looks you two are sharing, I'd say Kasumi will be part of the family before we know it."

Ranma and Kasumi looked at each other and blushed. Neither had thought that they were being so obvious. Now though, they could see how they had been acting. Oddly enough, as they stared at their counterpart, neither really cared that others knew. In fact, it felt like an affirmation of their relationship. The couple was broken from their gaze by th sound of gagging.

Over on her side of the table, Tami was making faces. "Oh great, more kissyface."

"Now now," admonished Yori, "don't make fun of them." Looking at the embarrassed couple she smiled and waved a finger. "But that doesn't mean that you two are allowed to make out with the rest of us at the table too."

The couple ducked their heads, "Yes ma'm," they chorused.

Joseph laughed at the antics of the younger generation. "Well now, why don't you two tell us a little about yourselves."

Kasumi looked down at her lap, "There isn't much to tell."

Ranma looked at his love with concern. She sounded so little, it just didn't feel right. "Hey now. That's not true! You kept the Tendos goin' after ya mom died. Everyone in the ward smiled when you're around. Hell! You stopped at least two battles cold just by serving cookies." As he looked at Kasumi, Ranma desperately tried to will his pride of her into his love's mind. Though he didn't realize it, he was doing exactly that, after a fashion. Jumping from his hand into her's was a small stream of confidence-leaden ki.

Looking up from the hand encircling her own smaller appendage, Kasumi saw the pride in her love's eyes. Still, when she measured the events of her life against Ranma's, she found herself coming up short. "But that's just the life of a housewife. What about all the stuff you've done? The training trip. All those adventures back home. Even the fiances. That was all much more interesting than my life."

"Kasumi," said Setsuna softly. "If there is nothing else that I've learned in my life, it is that, no matter who you are, you will always wish for someone else's life."

"She's right," nodded Justin. "If I worried about how much better other people have it I think I'd go crazy."

"Besides," continued Setsuna, "you left home with the man you love. That doesn't seem like the act of a housewife to me."

"I guess I never thought about it that way," said Kasumi with a smile. "I still think Ranma has the better story though."

"I'd like to hear about the fiance thing," leered Kai.

"Something pops did," sighed Ranma unhappily. "Anytime the panda needed to feed his fat face he duped someone inta hitchin' their daughter to me."

"And the dowry was food," gasped Setsuna in shock.

"You got it. By the time Kasumi and me left, I was up to five'r six."

"Oh, what about that delightful young lady two weeks ago," asked Kasumi.

"What? Oh yeah, Michiko. Guess I lucked out with her."

"Well, she did mention to me that your girl form was cute," she said with a smile.

Looks of confusion were shared by most of the gathered Alexanders. They were willing to let the comment slide as a misstatement. Well, all but Tami. "Did you say, "girl form"? You a cross dresser or somethin?"

"Tamiko Alexander," snapped Yori angrily. "Don't be rude."

"What," cried Tami in shock. "We were all thinkin' it!"

"But you don't go asking like that moron," replied Kai.

Kasumi cast an apologetic smile Ranma's way. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Ranma shrugged, "Nah, don't be. They'd find out sooner 'r later." Looking at the expectant faces of his relatives, he sighed. "No Tami, I've never willin'ly worn girl's clothes as a guy. But thanks to the stupidity of pops I picked myself up a curse." Reaching over to the glass of ice water sitting in front of him, Ranma poured some of the cold liquid over his hand. Like usual, his form shifted in an instant and where once sat a young, black-haired, man there was a young girl with fiery red hair and a generous bust line.

"Jebus H Crist," exclaimed Marcus. "Are you okay man?"

All around the table, Ranma saw the looks of shock and amazement which accompanied an initial showing of the curse. What he didn't expect was the soft laughter from beside him. Throughout the entire affair, Monica had been pressed against his side. "_Its like she's afraid I'll go poof or somethin'_" Now, as he looked over at her, he didn't see awe, just a warm smile.

"You are prettier than I saw," she said softly.

"Err, thanks," replied Ranma cautiously. As he looked at Monica, Ranma felt that sense of connection again. It wasn't as powerful and moving as Kasumi, or as invasive as Joseph. Instead, a warm wave passed through his mind. Instantly, Ranma knew she meant her complement as just that. He also sensed that she didn't mind the curse. "_She still sees me as a guy,_" thought Ranma happily. "Thanks kiddo," added the feminine Alexander, this time his words were accompanied by a big smile.

Turning back to the family, Ranma took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm 100 girl. No, my mind isn't. No, it doesn't hurt. Please don't touch my boobs, they're real and they're sensitive. Yes I can turn back, I just need hot water. I like bein' a guy, but Kasumi is helpin' with me acceptin' my girl side." It may be blunt, and possibly rude, but his little monologue got a lot of the common questions answered without any fanfare. "_I should get it printed on cards_," he thought wryly. "Any more questions?"

Daniel raised a unsteady hand, "Um I have one."

Given the boy's age, Ranma doubted that it would be a naughty one. "Go ahead."

Pushing up his glasses, Daniel smirked. "Do you maintain your weight when you change?"

Ranma could say, with a great deal of certainty, that he had never been asked that before. "Uhh, never really weighed myself."

"Oh Ranma, remember that one time you were weighed before the rhythmic gymnastics tournament," said Kasumi helpfully. "I seem to remember that you were lighter as a girl."

He laughed while scratching the back of his head. "Oh ya. I'd forgot bout that. Well, I guess that answers yer question, eh?"

The bespectacled Alexander sat with his mouth wide with shock. "That's impossible! Where does the mass go?"

Tami reached out and slapped her brother in the head. "He turns into a blinkin' girl and you're worried about where the freakin' weight goes?" This time it was her who cast an apologetic look Ranma's way. "Sorry bout him, Danny boy has a hard time with magic. By the way, points for bein' part of a right proper gender."

There was some laughter at the antics of the younger members of the clan. Finally though, it died down enough for the next person with a burning question to be heard. Leaning forward expectantly, Justin asked, "So Ranma. What's it like to have a girl's body." All eyes turned to Ranma. The men wanted intel from their agent in enemy lands, and the women wanted to see how much the other side knew.

Ranma just shrugged. "Its like a guy's, but its not." Seeing the looks of disappointment from all around, he tried to explain. "I mean, sometimes, when I change, I don't notice a difference. Others, its bam. Then, its weird. My walk is off and I got these things hangin' off me," he said as he grasped a breast. There were other things that he knew about the female existence, such as that horrid nightmare once a month, that he would rather not reveal at the moment.

Leaning forward with a sly smile, Setsuna cast a hooded stare Kasumi's way. "Tell me Kasumi, how do you like having a boyfriend so intimately familiar with the female form?"

Both Kasumi and Ranma shared a quick look before blushing and looking down. "I, I really like it," she stuttered. Feeling a certain exhilaration at that admission, she looked up to stare the other woman in the eye. "Ranma has to be the best boyfriend a woman could ask for. No matter the form." To show just how committed she was to her beloved, Kasumi wrapped her hands around his soft cheeks and gently kissed his full feminine lips.

Now, the Alexanders were a pretty open and accepting bunch, but even they had never seen two girls haul up and start kissing at their dinner table. Setsuna though, just smiled. "Well, its good to see you two get along so well," she said as the couple broke their kiss. From the way the pair looked at each other, it was clear to her that the sex vibe she had gotten from them was referring to the act with Ranma as a woman.

As he looked into Setsuna's smiling face, Ranma saw no trace of the deviousness that lay behind Nabiki's eyes. He just saw a woman happy that two other people were happy. "Yeah, well, I guess I'm lucky." Reaching into the ki pocket he kept on him for the really exotic items, Ranma withdrew several sealed packets. "But if you guys are really interested, here's some of the instant stuff."

Flying through the air, two of the packets were intercepted in their flight by female hands. One, Setsuna, cast a smoky look towards Justin. "Oh, I'll be sure Justin-dear receives the full experience. Doesn't that sound fun honey."

Said man attempted to swallow the massive lump that had suddenly appeared at the back of his throat. Meanwhile, the thoughts running through his mind at the moment made him unconsciously adjust himself. "Y, yeah."

Kai was squirming in his seat too, but his reasons were far more fear based. Cynthia had been the one to catch the item meant for him. He could see what his twin wanted in the wide, almost manic grin she was beaming at him. "Not no, but hell no Cynthia."

"Oh come on," whined the female twin. "It'll be fun. We can try on clothes and be like sisters."

"Remind me to kill you," said Kai to Ranma as he hung his head in defeat. Knowing his sister the way that he did, now that the idea was formed, there would be no stopping her until she had gotten what she wanted.

Ranma couldn't help but chuckle at the young man's plight. "Don't worry, it only lasts once."

"Ranma, why did you have those," asked Kasumi with a confused expression.

"Oh, those," shrugged Ranma. "Well Konatsu asked for some, so I ordered for him. I just got a few extra to use on perverts and stuff."

"Well that is good to know," replied Yori as she sat the last plate on the table. "Now, put away your toys and let's eat."

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It was a very satisfied Setsuna who appeared before the Gates of Time. As she had said back at the Alexander dinner table, her Justin had a long, and most definitely pleasurable, encounter with femininity. Why, the thought of their actions made her rub her legs together with desire. In her long, long, life, Setsuna had been with many a person. Due to her orientation, she mostly stuck to men. But, on occasion, she had dipped into the well of another woman. She wasn't about to go full bore like Haruka and Michiru, though what she had just shared with Justin made her really think about moving to a more middle ground approach on the whole preference issue.

Setsuna had loved before, but with Justin it was as if she had found her soul. Their meeting had been a chance encounter, one of the sort that happened a million times every day. He had slipped on a patch of ice and fell into her. For some reason, her short term precog had not been working at that time, and they ended up tumbling to the ground. Whatever the cause of the mistake, it was one that Setsuna would always cherish. When her eyes met his own, she immediately felt a connection unlike any she had ever experienced. Before she knew it, Setsuna had met his family and gotten herself engaged. Even if the Senshi hadn't been reborn, she didn't think she would have been able to say no. With Usagi alive, and in the full blush of her power, there was nothing standing in the way of love.

As a personal rule, Setsuna had refrained from using the Gates to delve into the lives of her new family. Not only was such spying an intrusion, but with the Alexanders she wanted to learn from them, not about them like some movie documentary. With Ranma though, Setsuna was going to break that rule. The boy intrigued her greatly. Not only did he have a gender curse, a rarity in this age, but he also had enough energy to light up half of Beryl's realm. So she returned to the Gates.

No one is quite sure who really made the Gates. When explorers found the structure during the early days of the Moon Kingdom, it was viewed as a significant boon to their society. People envisioned using the Gates to anticipate everything from natural disasters to the movements of an enemy. It was soon discovered though, that the Gates did not give up secrets so easily. Images and information from the past was easily accessible by the mechanism. Future events were far more problematic. Sure, it was possible to see when something would happen, but often just the knowledge of the event would either alter it or make it so the even never occurred at all. At the same time, you never knew whether or not the future you saw was an actual one, or a product of chance created out of the infinite branches created by free will. Eventually, Queen Serenity commanded the creation of a new Senshi. Her mission, to guard the flow of time. This Senshi would ensure that the past remained unchanged and the future was allowed to unfold as it normally would. As that Senshi, Pluto was burdened with the terrible knowledge that the Silver Millennium would end in fire and death. Such a fixed point along the Time Stream stood out clearly, and for months Setsuna had wanted to warn someone, but she was chosen for the position because her psychological profile showed an ability to keep secrets. So, for countless millennia Pluto had waited for the return of the Princess and her court.

Now though, they were all entering into a period where the Gates' sight became cloudy. Past events could be seen just as clearly as ever, but current and future ones were rapidly loosing any sort of clarity. Even her own innate precognition skills, as limited as they were, were on the fritz. Ranma, as it currently stood, was an anomaly. A look into his past was required to determine where the future may lead.

It only took a few moments for the Gates' mechanisms to find and lock in on Ranma's past. What she saw was shocking. Had anything other than the Gates showed her the life the young man had led, Setsuna would not have believed them. A gender curse had just been the tip of a colossal iceberg. There was so much chaos, so much pain, that it was a miracle that the boy had turned out as stable as he was. Even so, Setsuna saw that Ranma was a threat only to those who threatened him. Otherwise, he was happy simply living his life, free from the hassles of others. Unfortunately, the craziness and the abilities, which Ranma was so accustomed to, were not the norm in Minato, or in its sub ward, Juban. It was quite probable that one or more of her fellow Senshi would take one look at him jumping across roofs and assume he was a Youma. Luckily, she just happened to live with two of the most aggressive of the Senshi. Alerting them would have to be a top priority.

With but a thought, Setsuna appeared in the living room of the home she shared with Haruka and Michiru. Said women were currently engaged in some serious, grade A, necking. Had there not been more pressing matters, the Senshi of Pluto would have allowed the couple to go about their business. Unfortunately, for them, they had proved somewhat trigger happy in their mission and currently her future cousin-in-law was a potential target for their excesses. "Ahem."

Jumping as if she had been struck by lightning, Haruka Tenoh separated from her lover and shakily turned to the source of their interruption. Seeing their mysterious house mate standing there with her standard all-knowing smirk just served to infuriate the blond-haired lesbian. "Sweet Jesus Setsuna! Can't you ever knock or something?!"

Setsuna appeared unflappable in the face of such vitriol. "I would were this not my home. By the way, that bra really suits you."

Looking down, Haruka saw that her shirt remained open from when Michiru had been "examining" her. The parted garment allowed for a full viewing of her modest breasts within their yellow silken confines. With a deep blush forming across her body, Haruka quickly pulled the shirt closed. "There, you happy?"

Grinning wickedly, Setsuna said, "Oh I don't know, the view was pretty nice before. But that is for another time. There has been some new developments. Call the girls, we're having a meeting."

As their nominal friend vanished, both Haruka and Michiru looked at one another with open mouth shock. Neither could believe what the woman had said, nor that she was capable of saying it in such seductive tones.

"Did you have any idea," asked the aqua tressed Senshi of Neptune.

"Are you kidding me?! Had I, she would have been in with us before she knew it."

Though the thought of Setsuna writhing in pleasurable agony as Haruka and herself each sucked on a perfect pink nipple was highly appealing to Michiru, another thought managed to penetrate into the deeper levels of her mind. "Didn't she just mention a meeting."

"Crap, you're right," replied Haruka sullenly. Tonight was their special night and now that was getting canceled by their duty.

"Do not worry love," purred Michiru sensuously. "I will make sure that we get all time we need." With that, she slowly stood and made her way out of the room, all the while taking great care to swing her hips seductively.

Haruka swallowed dryly as all the moisture in her body mysteriously transported to her sex. "_Dammit__ Setsuna! I don't know how, or when, but someday I'll get you back for this_," she silently vowed.

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It was nearly thirty minutes later that a tired, and somewhat grumpy collection of Sailor Senshi congregated on one of the many rooftops near the Cherry Hill Shrine. Surprisingly, it was Setsuna who was the first to arrive. Those who slowly trickled in attempted to pry answers from the implacable woman, but all they received for their efforts was a small smile.

When the final Senshi to arrive, a bleary-eyed Minako, stumbled onto the roof, Usagi turned to her Senshi and, in the most authoritarian voice she could conjure up, she said, "Okay Setsuna, what's the matter?"

"There is a new pair in the area," she said simply.

"Please tell me there is more than that," said Rei with a touch of anger.

Holding her staff where everyone could see it, Setsuna willed it to show an image. Floating above the ruby orb were a young man and a similarly dressed girl. It was quite obvious that they were somehow related, and quite possibly siblings. "This is Ranma, and . . . Ranko, Alexander. Neither are a threat but they are both special."

"How so," asked Usagi with curiosity.

"They have both lived a life you would describe as a living hell. Because of that, their skill in the martial arts are beyond amazing. Just with their own abilities, they can perform feats similar to what we can do when we are transformed."

"How is that possible," this time it was Ami doing the asking. "The human body is incapable of executing such actions on its own. The only way we can is via our magic."

Setsuna nodded, "Normally, you would be right. But Ranma and Ranko tapped into another source. Their training has granted them massive stores of internal energy. With it they can leap great distances and move faster than the eye can track."

"And you're sure they're not a threat," asked Haruka skeptically.

"Yes I am. Both are good, kind-hearted, people. But they are also used to using their abilities openly. The last thing either needs is to be traveling to school and get blasted by one of us." She smirked as Rei and a few others looked at each other with embarrassment.

Seeing the looks on the faces of her friends, Usagi smiled. In her opinion, they were too gung-ho for her taste. Still, they were her comrades, and she would stand beside them come hell or high water. "Thank you Setsuna. We appreciate the warning. Was there anything else we should know?"

"No more dire warnings, princess. But I do have one further piece of information. Ranma is most assuredly taken, and I find it highly doubtful that he would want to change that fact." The looks of disappointment on the faces of Minako and Makoto just added to her day.

"Well thanks," smiled Usagi. "Since that's all, I'm heading back to bed."

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Lime was running, his face lined deeply with fear and concern. If one were to look at the young man, they would be hard pressed to tell that he was a warrior with few equals. Even his outfit, a collection of tiger furs, appeared to be the creation of some otaku for the local anime convention. No one would ever guess that he had the strength to move mountains. Unfortunately, that strength proved for naught when the attack came.

He had been asleep in his quarters adjacent to his lord Herb's own stately suite. Suddenly a great explosion threw Lime from his bed. As he dug himself out of the rubble that had been his home, the tiger man was assaulted by the sounds of screams. Some were the lamentations of the wounded, or the dieing, but there were cries that Lime's finely honed hearing picked out from among the rest. They were the utterances of his sovereign; Herb was in danger. With a strength and speed that seemed unnatural, Lime worked his way through the rubble. The screams were soon joined by the sounds of terrible battle. Blasts of energy flew wildly through the air, making his journey all the more perilous.

When he finally made it to the place where the screams and the sounds of battle rang from, Lime came across a truly strange sight. The throne room, the heart of their civilization and carved out of solid rock by the first Musk ruler, was utterly destroyed. At the far edge of the throne room, he could make out the crumpled form of his compatriot Mint. From this distance he could not ascertain the extent of the man's injuries, but Lime could tell that he was still breathing. But all that paled in comparison to the horror of his lord. Herb stood in the center of the devastation screaming. From both hands he launched one ki blast after another. What was more terrifying was the way Herb's body contorted, switching violently between his male and female forms with no semblance of regularity. At times Herb would be screaming obscenities at some unseen foe, then other moments he would yell at himself, commanding the changing monarch to submit.

After what seemed like hours, Herb finally noticed his vassal helplessly watching his struggle. "Go," he cried, "get Saotome! He'll . . . save . . . us . . . arg!"

Had Lime not been quicker on the uptake, he would have been vaporized by a blast of life energy. Still, he received some burns for his troubles. Luckily, whatever was going on within Herb quickly consumed his lord's attention once more and the tiger man was able to move along the edge of the throne room. If he had to leave, he would not do so alone. Mint was over there, and he would be damned before he left his childhood friend to whatever evil battled Herb. Throwing the unconscious Mint over his shoulder, Lime did the one thing a warrior always hated to do, he ran.

As the flames kissed the night sky and the proud Musk kingdom burned to ashes, Lime amd Mint, two of its finest warriors, ran east. With his final bout of sanity, their lord had given them a mission. They had to find the god-killer, the one who laid low the mighty Herb, they had to seek the aid of Ranma Saotome. And, whether he liked it or not, Ranma would save their people, even if it meant that the escaping Musk had to sacrifice their lives.

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Authors Notes: Another chapter in the can. This one flowed a lot smoother for me, and I hope for you all as well. There wasn't much action in this chapter, but there was an answer or two given.

Ranma's power: now from the moment this story went all quagmire on me, I had pretty much settled on the moment Kasumi and Ranma shared being the result of an ability inherited from the Alexander side of the family. Some clarifying points though. No, Ranma did not know he had the ability to do that. In fact, prior to that moment, he didn't. Think of it as a x-men style mutation. A certain set of circumstances were needed to happen for Ranma to do that the first time. As you saw, other members of the Alexander family get the ability at different times and at different levels. Some won't have it at all.

Speaking of the Alexander family, you may have noticed that not all of them have Japanese names, that was on purpose. And Monica did predict Ranma's arrival

A word about Setsuna. When we first meet her, she isn't really acting like the one we are used to. She is warm and playful. The reason for this is that she now has a family. There are people who accept her, and she is madly in love with one of their own. Plus, as I have hinted, with Usagi alive, a relationship with someone else is a lot more viable. Let me tell you, Justin is her soul mate and we will not be seeing any questions of that. We also see a different Pluto than in standard R/SM works. She knew nothing about Ranma, nor is she out to kill him. On Crystal Tokyo, right now it's a probability but it is one of many. Its one that Setsuna favors, but its not one that she can actively work for. So no mass murdering Sailor Plutos in this fic boys and girls. And yes, she really did have sex with Justin when they both were women.

By the way, a quick look at Tokyo shows that Juban ward is a fictional place. Many fics place it right next to Nerima in order to ease a crossover. According to my research though, the fictional Juban is a a part of the Azabu district of the Minato ward. And if you look at a map, Minato is two to three wards over from Nerima. So none of this hop, skip, and jump back and forth.

Also in this chapter we see the first rumblings of the enemy on Earth. What is going on should be explained in the next chapter.

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People


	4. Fate in Mortal Hands

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Chapter 3 – Fate in Mortal Hands

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As fires burned the once proud Musk civilization to ash, as Lime slowly trudged eastward through the thick forests of China, as the Sailor Senshi met to discuss the newest arrival to Minato Ward, a young couple slept peacefully upon the roof of a palatial estate. Though the pair had a room of their own, it was currently beneath them, the male, Ranma, wanted some time to stargaze. His companion, Kasumi, willingly followed, and the couple set up shop on the hard roof. Normally, when a person looks up to the sky in a busy metropolis, the stars are just assumed to exist, as their light was completely blocked by the perpetual haze of illumination. Like many things with Ranma though, the assumed was not necessarily reality. As if some powerful force had commanded it, for the couple the haze faded away and the vast canopy of the universe was laid bare before them.

In years past, many a soul had stared up into that endless sea of stars. Even the most arrogant could not help but feel humbled by the force of creation bearing down upon them. One could say that all the light of man had been dedicated to riding himself of the oppression of the night. Yet, for Ranma, the eternal starry night held no oppression. Whenever the pain and heartache got too much to bare, whenever it felt as if all of reality was spiraling out of control, he would just look up into those stars and loose himself in their majesty. The stars became his dearest companions; they were his playthings and his silent confidants. Many a night had been spent playing hide and seek between supernovae and nebulae. He even learned from the constellations and the stories they told. So important were they that, instead of sleeping in a soft bed, Ranma brought Kasumi up to the roof with him in order to introduce her to them. Soon though, the long day finally caught up with the pair, and both fell gently into sleep's warm embrace.

Slowly, as Ranma opened his eyes, he realized that he was no longer on a roof of any sort. The stars were still above him, but now they seemed closer, more intimate, than they had ever been before. Beneath him there was a soft warmth, like he was laying on a cloud on a spring day. Lazily looking to his side, Ranma saw not the roof, or the Tokyo skyline, only a vast ocean of stars. The only thing missing from the scene was the burning line of stars that denoted the plane of the galaxy. It did not take long for him to realize that he and Kasumi were not on the roof any longer.

With a gentle shake of his girlfriend, he said, "Kasumi, wake up."

"Mmm," she groaned. "Do I have to?"

Taking a quick look at their surroundings, Ranma said, "Yeah, I think ya do."

With a put upon sigh, the Tendo woman slowly opened her eyes. The look of concern on Ranma's face quickly banished any remaining traces of sleep from her. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "Just let's get up. Don't let go of me though."

Despite her best efforts to appear brave for her beloved, Kasumi could not suppress the fearful quaking of her body. Ranma sounded scared, and, other than cats, there was nothing that he feared. Which meant that this was something new, and, quite possibly, something fatal. Still, if Ranma wanted her up, she would oblige him. Making sure to always remain in contact with him, Kasumi slowly got to her feet. As she stood, the Tendo daughter suddenly knew what it was like to be God. All around, creation lay before her. Even the surface they had been laying on turned out to be a glowing band of tightly packed stars which seemed to stretch on into the infinite. "Where are we," she asked with awe-filled fear.

"No clue. But it looks like space."

"Shouldn't we be dead?" Though she did not know much about space, Kasumi had seen enough on television to know it was not conducive to human health.

"I think so." Now that he got a good look at his surroundings, Ranma was beginning to realize that he was back in his old playground. All the stars but two were in the same positions as they had been in all of his mental escapades. The two rogue stars were a softly glowing white one, and the other was a brilliant orange. Not only were they out of place, Ranma's eyes told him that they were getting closer. Gently, so as to not alarm her, Ranma moved Kasumi into a position behind him and away from the approaching lights

Curious at her boyfriend's actions, Kasumi looked around Ranma. Like him, she saw the stars approaching. Yet, she did not feel the apprehension that plagued him, as something about those lights created a sense of peace in her. "Ranma, I don't think we have to worry about them."

Ranma looked behind him quickly, "Ya sure?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yes, I don't know why, but I feel safe." Kasumi's smile only grew as she felt Ranma relax some. "_He's actually listening to me_," she thought happily. She knew, from Akane's stories of her own adventures, that her boyfriend wasn't exactly the sort to listen to others, preferring instead to rush in where angels fear to tread.

_**"You are safe here Kasumi Tendo,"**_ spoke a sourceless male voice.

_**"Be at peace, Ranma Alexander."**_ Though the source of this new utterance was just as unknowable, it was different, softer and more feminine than the first.

Suddenly, the two lights spread out and began to form into shapes until they had become large birds. The white light transformed into a large swan. Its feathers, as white as new fallen snow, seemed to glow with a holy light. And its eyes shined with love and compassion, the type of which knew no differences between races. As the swan's companion, there was a magnificent phoenix. Across the bird's body, fire hotter than the sun danced merrily. Looking at it, one could see the wisdom of the ages, lifetimes of knowledge and experience invested into an eternally young soul.

_**"Greetings,"**_ echoed the male voice. Though it made no movement save the slow beating of its wings, both Kasumi and Ranma somehow knew that the words had been the product of the phoenix.

_**"I trust your awakening was not troubling,"**_ this time it was the female. Her's was a warm and tender voice, almost like a mother speaking to her child.

"Uh, yeah," said Ranma. "Where're we?"

The swan laughed softly, _**"Surely you remember this place Ranma. You played here so often."**_

Indeed he did recognize his surroundings. Ranma had played here too many times to not know it. But that was just the dreams of a troubled youth, not what he was feeling right now. "That was a dream though."

_**"What is a dream but reality in another form,"**_ said the phoenix cryptically.

_**"Besides, you were in so much pain that we had to bring you here."**_

_**"Luckily, your undeveloped gift allowed us to temporarily bring your spirit here. I am only glad our time together allowed you to turn out so well. Even if you were a trying child at times,"**_ chuckled the phoenix.

"So it wasn't all a dream," said Ranma with awe.

_**"Not all of it at least,"**_ answered the swan happily.

Kasumi took that moment to speak, "Um excuse me. But who are you?"

_**"I am Phoenix, and this is my mate, Cygnus."**_

"They're constellations," added Ranma helpfully. Seeing the questioning look his girlfriend turned his way, he explained himself. "Learned it from a book."

_**"Ranma is right,"**_ replied Cygnus, _**"we are what you know as constellations."**_

In the last year, Kasumi had seen many an amazing thing, but even this was beyond belief. "But how?"

_**"Just as homes and planets can have a spirit of their own, so do we,"**_ explained Phoenix. _** "At the beginning of time, the gods set about their plans for the universe. Our race was created to guide and inspire. The heavens became our home so that all could view us and follow our example."**_

_**"And for countless millennia we did our job well,"**_ said Cygnus proudly. _**"Your races grew quickly and spectacularly. Though, I must say that we are not always happy at the course you all take, goodness seems to eventually triumph."**_ The warm and happy demeanor of the swan grew sad, _**"But conflict, it seems, is not reserved for you alone."**_

"There was a fight," asked Ranma.

Phoenix seemed to nod, _**"Since the earliest days, ours has been a policy of non-interference when it comes to the affairs of mortal races. We may perform our functions, but never try to change the course of history. Yet, one of our own broke that covenant. Several weeks ago, by your reckoning, Draco witnessed a fierce battle between your galaxy's protector and a being of darkness and chaos. Instead of maintaining his distance, Draco charged in to help the woman."**_

_**"He always chafed at the rules,"**_ muttered Cygnus weakly.

_**"And this time he paid for it,"**_ replied the fiery bird hotly. _**"Seeing a more powerful target, the darkness turned its focus onto Draco. Theirs was a trying battle, but in the end our friend fell to his opponent. Not satisfied with simply winning, the darkness reached out and took control of Draco. Soon, it began to corrupt our brothers and sisters."**_

"But why," this time it was Kasumi asking the question.

_**"For power,"**_ spat Phoenix angrily. _**"There is an item, a crystal of such beauty and perfection that it staggers the mind. The darkness wishes to find the crystal and destroy it."**_

_**"So, our dear Draco has come to your Earth,"**_ continued Cygnus sadly. _**"Already his dark forces have corrupted the poor boy known as Herb."**_

Ranma gasped, "They got Herb?!"

_**"Yes. Draco is using Herb as his vessel. He is in so much pain,"**_ the swan cried.

_**"Even though we are powerful, our kind can not walk freely among your people. Our power is such that we would quickly die. But, by taking possession of individuals from your realm, Draco and his minions have managed to find a way around that. Now, they are amassing their forces in order to lay claim to the crystal for themselves."**_

"So why do ya need us? I mean what you're talkn' about is bigger than Saffron. And there's got to be guys like him." Though Ranma took a great deal of pride in his abilities, he knew that Saffron had been on opponent he had no honest right in defeating. Only a spot of good luck and a stroke of inspiration got him through that encounter.

_**"You are correct,"**_ replied Phoenix with a nod of his head. _**"As you are now you have no hope of surviving an encounter with the tainted."**_

_**"But we want to offer you both a way to fight them."**_

While the prospect of fighting was not that appealing to Kasumi, sharing an aspect of Ranma's life, even if it was battle, certainly seemed like something she could get behind. "How?"

_**"As Ranma suggested, there are those on your world who could dispatch our brethren, a group who call themselves the Sailor Senshi."**_

"Oh I've heard of them," exclaimed Kasumi. "Such scandalous dressers."

Ranma looked at his girlfriend questioningly, "How's that?"

"Think Happosai," she said dryly.

"Oh."

Both Phoenix and Cygnus laughed at the exchange. _**"Besides their choice of battle garb,"**_ said Phoenix with some mirth, _**"these Sailor Senshi are a very powerful force of good. If the opponent were any other, their skills would prove more than capable at performing the task at hand."**_

_**"But they can not fight our siblings."**_

"Why not," asked Ranma. Though he was beginning to trust these beings, he was going to continue operating from a position of caution.

_**"We are creatures of balance. Our enemy and these Senshi operate at differing ends of the balance. Though they mean well, and their cause is a just one, should they fight the tainted they would inadvertently kill the very ones they are trying to save."**_

_**"You see," **_started Cygnus._** "their power is like a poison to us. And their leader's power is the most poisonous. Even if we wanted to have their help, it would do more harm than good."**_

_**"Yet they have proved to be an example by which we may further our own cause. We wish for you to become our avatars on Earth. Like the Senshi, and those who wield the power of our brethren, so to would you use our own energies." **_

"You want to take us over," asked Ranma incredulously.

_**"Heavens no,"**_ gasped Cygnus. _**"We would never do that."**_

_**"Quite right,"**_ agreed her mate. "_**All we wish to do is imbue you with our power. In that way, you may combat the forces which assail your world on an equal footing. Our essence though, would remain separate from your own. We could not possibly control you."**_

"Why us," asked Ranma, a tinge of suspicion hovering in his voice. "I mean, why not Saffron, he's more powerful."

_**"Right now, Saffron is not an option. Since you defeated him, he is too weak to be a suitable fighter. Besides, it is only fitting that the man who slew our son is the one to take up the mantle as my avatar."**_

Ranma paled at that piece of news. Here were the parents of the one person who, on any other occasion, could beat him hands down. "Uh, listen, sorry bout that."

_**"Do not trouble yourself Ranma,"**_ said Cygnus warmly. _**"We understand your reasons. Saffron was out of control. You did what you had to in order to save your friends."**_

_**"He was always too headstrong for his own good,"**_ muttered Phoenix.

"Why me," asked Kasumi meekly. As all eyes turned to her, she felt even shyer. "I mean, I'm not a fighter. I just cook and clean."

"Kasumi," muttered Ranma sadly. These past few days had shown him facets of Kasumi that he had never known existed. But this lack of confidence was the most troubling to him. He had always been filled with the emotion, and to see someone he cared so much for have a lack of it, hurt him greatly.

_**"Do not denigrate yourself so, Kasumi. Yes you are not a fighter, but you are a light bringer. When sadness and unrest arise, your smile and gentle demeanor banish all such negativity. Which makes you the perfect candidate for my power."**_

"It does," said a wide-eyed young woman.

_**"Yes,"**_ Cygnus' smile was clear in her voice. _**"As my champion, you will be granted the power to heal and bring peace to those who would cause harm. Furthermore, you will be able to banish the darkness plaguing our brethren."**_

Ranma raised an eyebrow at that. "Why can't you?"

_**"We only discovered the secret after the corruption started. No more of our people can be infected. Unfortunately, those on Earth are beyond our reach. That is why we need you,"**_ replied Phoenix.

"So," started Ranma, "let's say I go fer this, what'd happen ta me?

_**"Good. It is the fool who rushes into a situation with no information. As your mate would be Cygnus' champion, you would be mine. Yours would be the realm of heat, the application and the removal there of. There is also what can be done about your curse."**_

"You can cure it," exclaimed Ranma with an almost giddy air.

Phoenix shook his head, _**"That is not possible. Like us, Jusenkyo was created by the gods, for what purpose we do not know. We cannot totally rid you of the transformation, but as my champion, you will be able to retard or even reverse it. If you are well rested, then you will even be able actually trigger the change at will. And, before you ask, no there is no cure to the curse. It will be with you forever."**_

Ranma, sighed. "Oh, I guess that'd be okay." Before now there had been the hope of a cure somewhere out there, now though, that hope was gone for good. "_Least I have Kasumi, and nights like yesterday_." Looking the fiery bird straight in the eye, he asked the question. "Okay, what's the bad news?"

"What do you mean Ranma," asked Kasumi, her face a mask of confusion.

He shrugged, "Everythin' but you has a way o' bitin' me in the ass. Figure I'd know early."

_**"Ranma is correct Kasumi, there is a price to my power. Cygnus' power can be handled by mortals without consequence."**_ Phoenix sighed, _**"Mine cannot. To truly contain my heat you would have to become at least a partial phoenix."**_

"What do you mean, at least," asked a concerned Kasumi. Suddenly the offers being made did not sound as appealing a they once did.

_**"You must understand, what we suggest has never been done before,"**_ replied Cygnus sadly. _**"We have no idea how Ranma's body will react. Though we are positive that he will not be permanently harmed."**_

"Anything else we should know?"

_**"Only that others of our kind have contacted humans for similar positions. Should you accept our proposition you shall not fight alone,"**_ replied Phoenix weakly. _**"I know that we ask much from you both, but believe me, if we had any alternatives we would have pursued them."**_

Ranma looked at Kasumi and saw that she had the same concerns as he did. A part of him wanted to accept, it was a way to save others and a promise of control over the curse. But this was not the kind of decision that he could just agree to by himself, not when he had others to think about. Not when he was in love. So, heaving a sigh of reluctance, he looked to the two bird constellations. "Can we think bout' this fer a bit?"

Phoenix and Cygnus turned sadly to each other and shared a look. As he turned back to the pair, the fiery bird nodded. _**"Very well. Your hesitance is understandable. This is a decision that should not be made in haste. We shall give you the time you require."**_

Suddenly the couple felt a warmth around their necks. Each looked down and, to their amazement, they found a chain with a bird attached. The links of Kasumi's chain were made of silver that seemed to glow with its own light. As for the avian, it was a beautifully detailed silver swan. Its wings were extended outward as if it were gliding majestically upon unseen air currents. Inset within the delicate structure of the wings was mother of pearl. A single diamond was used as a glittering eye. Ranma's gift was no less beautiful than his girlfriend's. His chain was made of a gold so bright it appeared molten. The bird displayed for Ranma was phoenix, its form made of the same molten gold. Whereas Kasumi's swan was graceful in its stillness, the fiery bird displayed a certain restless energy. Its flaming appearance was only magnified by the ruby inset in the wings. But, instead of rubies or citrines, a pair of soft blue sapphires were crafted for the phoenix's eyes.

_**"Please take these," **_said Cygnus. _**"They are yours."**_

_**"And, should you accept out proposal, take hold of it and think our names. We shall be there."**_

"Its beautiful," muttered Kasumi as she stared at her gift. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks."

_**"You are more than welcome. Consider what we have asked, please."**_

The couple nodded and joined hands. "We will," they replied. With that, the stars and their hosts began to fade. Before they knew it darkness surrounded them utterly as unconsciousness consumed them.

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As the two humans returned to their earthly realm, Phoenix sighed. _**"I had thought they would accept our offer."**_

_**"They will, love. It will just be in their own time and way."**_

_**"I just hope the others were more successful."**_ As if his words were a spell of summoning, several other lights joined the couple. Phoenix looked at his brothers and sisters. Their numbers were diminished, but if the fates were kind then their plans would recover the fallen. _**"I trust you all were successful?"**_

Though their answers were not in words, they all replied in the affirmative. Smiling at their good fortune, he said, _**"Good. Ours are reluctant to join, but our plans can still unfold without them, should the need arise."**_

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With a gasp, Ami bolted awake. Looking over at her alarm clock, she saw that it would be another thirty minutes before it rang. Suddenly, thoughts of the dream she just experienced flowed through her mind. "Oh god," she groaned, "not another one." The smell in the room though only confirmed her fears. She had had another one of those dreams. Now dreaming was not a new thing for Ami Mizuno, they occurred frequently in her life. As she grew there were the dreams of her future, ones where she was a princess in a magical fairyland, and just the plain old day-to-day ones that no one really remembers. Once she reached an age where her body started noticing boys as more than simple sources of grief, dreams of encounters with them began to play out. Of course these grew in intensity over the years as hormone levels rose and her knowledge on the subject expanded. Then, one day, they started.

She had no idea where they came from, or why they continued, but a certain set of dreams disturbed and excited her greatly. They started the same way, though the actors were often different. Ami would find herself in her own bed and completely naked. A man would be in bed with her. Their bodies would rub against each other in carnal delight. Despite its status as a dream, the sensations felt so real that, when she woke up, her body felt as if it had been engaged in those wonderful acts. Had a romp between the sheets been the end of it, then Ami would have had no problem about the dreams. It was what came after the delicious sex. Her lover, and he would vary between a nondescript male and whomever she may have a crush on, would slide out of her and begin to kiss his way down her body. As his tongue explored her most intimate of places, Ami arched back, her body reacting to the pleasure in a manner similar to an electric shock. When the taughtness of her form subsided, and she was able to gaze upon the face of he lover, the Mizuno girl was shocked to see that the man who had so expertly pleasured her had become an equally attractive woman. Instead of freaking out and pushing the fellow female away though, Ami continued with the love making until one final cataclysmic orgasm jolted her awake.

Had there only been the bi-sexual dreams, Ami would have explained them as subconscious manifestations and ended it at that. Unfortunately, the dreams were not alone. No matter how thoroughly dressed she was when falling asleep, when one of those dreams hit Ami found herself completely naked the next morning. Even that was not the most disturbing aspect of the dreams. Since they had started, she began seeing other females in the same light as males. It had started small, a glance, a stray thought, but as time passed it grew until she was scrutinizing every aspect of woman with the same level of care and lust as she had with men. Even her closest friends were not exempt from her new wondering eye. The only really good thing about the whole ordeal was that Ami gained an insight into why Haruka was always looking at them the way she did.

As she climbed from her bed, Ami grimaced at the sticky feeling between her legs. A quick glance to her sheets confirmed a need to change them. Last night's dream had been one of the most powerful she had yet to experience. It had proceeded as they always had in the past, but this time the man was this Ranma that Setsuna told them about. He had been so incredibly strong, yet so gentle. And when he became Ranko the pleasure had only increased. The passion had been so exquisite that even thinking about it sent minute aftershocks of pleasure zinging through her body. Had she not been warned that Ranma was seeing someone else, she may have harbored thoughts of pursuing him. "_Although,_" she thought lustfully, "_Setsuna never mentioned anything about Ranko_." Those thoughts followed her as Ami pulled on a shirt and a pair of panties on her way towards the bathroom.

By the time she left her home, Ami found her mental state back to what she was now calling normal. Plans for her day now ran through her mind, as did some quick review for the upcoming quiz in math. Though she did find herself admiring both men and women along her walk to school, Ami managed to keep those on the back channels of her mind. They stayed there until an announcement was made by the teacher. Ranma Alexander was going to be in her class! Looking up from her book, Ami saw the young man at the front of the room. Unbidden, memories of her dream came flooding through her mind and she felt her cheeks turn bright red.

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As she looked at her friend's blushing face, Usagi could not help but feel glad. For a while she had begun to think Ami had no desire for companionship of a romantic kind. Now that the blond girl knew otherwise, she started thinking of ways to channel that interest onto men other than Ranma. Sure, he was attractive. There was a feral ruggedness that wet even her whistle. But, as Setsuna had told them, the new guy was already with someone. To Usagi, that meant he was off limits for everyone in her little group. So, using her ultra cool ninja skills, she pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote, "Stop undressing him." With careful ease, she folded the paper and casually tossed it in Ami's direction. Usagi was a bit surprised when Ami went from beet red to pale white, but she just attributed the change to the girl's natural shyness. Still, the former Moon Princess smiled at her friend just to ease any bad feelings.

With that done, Usagi turned back to the newest member of their class. As she had previously thought, this Ranma was rather easy on the eyes. And had things been different, she could see herself falling into those arms forever. But this wasn't some alternate reality, and she was quite happy with her darling Mamoru. There was also a certain level of envy towards the pig-tailed young man. Somehow he had gotten an exemption that allowed him to where normal clothes instead of a uniform. What she didn't see in him was the power Setsuna had spoken of. He looked like a normal guy, not some super powerhouse capable of feats beyond human reckoning.

Power or no, there was one thing that Usagi was absolutely positive of. Ranma would make an excellent new friend. And, if the befuddled expression on his face was any indication, he was in need of a few friends.

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Staring out at the smiling faces of his new classmates, Ranma again wondered at the speed with which Setsuna got him enrolled. In an incident eerily similar to his first morning with the Tendos, Setsuna handed him a satchel and a sheet of directions to a nearby school where he would be attending classes. All the way there he pondered at the speed with which others got him into the education system. Back on the road, it had been like pulling teeth to get him in. All the paperwork and tests severely limited the amount of effort Genma had wanted to employ. A quick look in his new satchel told him that all that work had already been completed and that he was to report to a certain room for his first class.

Upon arriving at his new school, Ranma was immediately amazed at how clean the campus was. Everywhere he looked there was no sign of explosives, or combat of any sort. The students also appeared completely normal, well normal by other people's standards. As he looked at his surroundings, Ranma was of two minds. One was glad to be in a place where normalcy and peace were the norm. But the other was quite distressed. In his experience, such long-term blandness was just asking for trouble. And, if there was going to be any source for trouble, Ranma knew, it would be him.

The walk through the school was equally as dull. Other than some whispers that he was sure were about him, Ranma passed through the halls practically unnoticed. That changed though when the pig-tailed young man reached his class though. As he entered the room, every eye was focused completely on him. Even though he was used to being the center of attention, all those stares, some of which looked to be sizing him up like a piece of meat, were a bit unnerving.

"So, you must be our new student," said the teacher.

"Um, yeah. Here's my note."

Taking the sheet of paper from Ranma, the man looked it over. Seeing that everything was in order, he nodded and sat it down on his desk. "Okay students, we have a new student today. His name is Ranma Alexander. Ranma, do you have anything to say to the class?"

Ranma thought for a moment before saying, "Well, I'm a martial artist. Spent most'f my life on the road. Also, I'm seeing someone and I'm very happy." Normally he wouldn't have added the last bit, but after the debacle with Furinken, he wasn't going to leave any ambiguity when it came to his love life.

"Well that's good to know Ranma. Why don't you have a seat next to Makoto and we can get today's lesson going.."

Ignoring the sighs and looks of longing, Ranma wove his way between chairs in a line to the desk next the brown-haired young woman who had waved when her name had been called out. As he looked at Makoto, she smiled warmly and pointed at the desk beside him. Returning the smile, he nodded and examined the girl. She was stronger built than her fellows and her chi was a bit stronger and more defined as well. It told him that she either worked out, or practiced martial arts, either way though she was a rank amateur compared to him. "_Then again,_" he thought with a smirk, "_most people are_."

Sitting down at the desk, Ranma pulled out the paper and pen he had been provided and, in a move that would have shocked those back at Furinken, he began taking notes. The implement flew at almost blinding speed across the paper's surface as he struggled to commit every word to paper. He knew that this probably wasn't proper note taking procedure, but since he didn't know what that was, Ranma was going to write it all down. "_Someone back at the house should be able to help me with this,_" he thought hopefully.

All around Ranma, people were having a hard time concentrating on what they were doing. Though the lecture was actually one of the teacher's more interesting ones, their attention was constantly being pulled towards the new student. He was not making a single sound to cause their interest. In fact, he looked to be taking notes like a dutiful student. But, how he was doing that was what got their attention. With wide-eyed wonder they stared on as Ranma's hands blurred across the paper.

Even the Senshi, who had been forewarned as to the abilities Ranma possessed, were amazed. As they looked between their teammates and Ranma, each could not help but be amazed. He moved with such speed, yet it appeared as if he was under no strain. Even they couldn't do that as Senshi. They all shared a look that said, "How can he be human?" Such acts were what people dreamed of when they watched television or read books, and the Sailor Senshi were no different. Each looked on with varying levels of envy.

Makoto looked on with an almost lust filled expression. But her's was not a desire for carnal pleasures. Her friends probably thought that she felt that Ranma looked like her old boyfriend. "_He does look a little like him_," she thought wryly. But that wasn't what she wanted from him, not by a long shot. The Senshi of Jupiter wanted that speed, that power, that grace. She wanted to have the kind of skill that Ranma practically flaunted.

Though Ranma was making not a sound, those watching him did. A low murmur was making its way through the classroom as students talked to one another about their new classmate. The teacher, Mr. Koji, was used to a certain level of background noise in his classes. As an educator, it was impossible to realistically expect complete silence, but he did have his limits. Currently, his students had exceeded those limits by a sizable degree. Turning to scold the children under his charge, he caught sight of his newest student and, like the students, he stared on in awe. "Um Ranma?"

Without missing a beat, Ranma looked up from his work. "Yes sir?"

"Is . . . everything okay," he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, why?" And that was the truth. For the first time in as long as he could remember, Ranma was actually mildly interested in a teacher's lecture.

"Um, nothing," replied Mr. Koji quickly before nervously turning back to the board and continuing on with the lecture. Unconsciously copying his colleagues from Nerima, he wrote the entire event off to a lack of sleep coupled with a trick of the light.

So, until the lunch bell rang several hours later, things continued in a similar manner. Each new teacher would have an issue with the noise only to be cowed by Ranma's phenomenal speed. One or two would make a half-hearted attempt to stifle the noise, but any silence gained didn't last long. Finally though, the clang of the bell sounded throughout the school and every student poured out of the room in an attempt to regain some much needed food and sanity.

Though the clarion call of lunch still resounded in his hears, Ranma slowly packed his school supplies. Only when everything was in its proper place did he calmly stand and make his way out of the room behind his fellow students. For a moment, he had toyed with the idea of simply jumping from the window. The height would be nothing, and it would get him to his meal all the quicker. That plan was soon tabled in favor of his current course of action. "_I'll ease them into crazy_," he thought with a grin. Descending the stairs, Ranma felt his stomach begin to grumble with desire for the bento Yori and Kasumi had so lovingly crafted for him. As he crossed into the yard, the various cliques looked at him before shaking their heads and turning back to their lunches. Had he actually cared much about the opinions of others, then he may have felt some small measure of unhappiness. Since he didn't, the multitude of tree branches looked to be positively wonderful perches for lunch.

Just as he was about to jump up onto one of the branches, a flash of motion caught his eye. Looking fully in the direction it was coming from, Ranma saw the brunet from class smiling and waving him over. She was sitting with several other girls from class, along with several others, all of whom were now looking at him and waving too. The prospect of hanging out with a pack of girls was somewhat daunting. After all, one or more could be long lost fiancés or something. "_But its not like I've got a lot of friends here_," thought the part of him which longed for the company of others. It was that thought that drew him in their direction.

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Gathering at their usual spot, the girls known as the Sailor Senshi talked and ate their lunches. Normally the topics of conversation varied from boys to the most recent Youma attacks. On this meeting, their talking turned to the same issue that everyone else was, Ranma Alexander.

"Did you guys see how fast he moved," gushed Usagi.

"See it," asked Makoto incredulously. "I want to see how I can do that!"

"Surprised that you're not comparing him to your old boyfriend," quipped Haruka.

Makoto waved a hand dismissively, "Forget that. You should have seen how fast he was going."

"How fast," asked Michiru.

Ami, who was running the numbers on her computer looked up with awe. "His hands were moving at the same speed as your motorcycle." Her voice was filled with an extreme level of shock.

"That doesn't seem physically possible," exclaimed Michiru.

"I should say not. At those speeds a normal human body would fly apart. Ranma though, seems to be enhanced by some energy field. According to my scans, it was holding him together."

"So is he evil," this time it was Usagi asking, and from her tone it was clear that she hoped the answer was no.

The blue haired girl shook her head. "From available evidence, I would say no. Though his energy levels are great, there is nothing about them to lead me to believe a malevolent intent."

"How so?"

"From past experience, life energy of the type Ranma is surrounded by is similar to what Beryl's minions drained from people. Now when we killed one of the draining Youmas the energy stolen would flow back to the victims. Following the life force would be a residual taint from the Youma." Seeing the looks of shock and horror on the faces of her compatriots, Ami smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry, it faded after a few days. At most anyone with the taint would have been more irritable than normal. As how this pertains to Ranma, well there was no trace of that or any other negative influence. There is some small background magic in him, but nothing of the power he was exhibiting in class though. Everything prior experience has told me, leads me to conclude that Ranma Alexander is just as safe as Setsuna said."

"Well that's good, because I'm inviting him over," chirped Makoto as she began waving madly.

Soon, everyone else joined in as well, and a whole gaggle of glorious girls were gesticulating for the new guy to gravitate towards them. Keeping her smile, Minako let out a pained groan. "Oh god, look at that hunk of man meat."

"He's got someone," hissed Usagi through a smile.

"Doesn't mean I can't look."

"Quiet you two, he's almost here," stage whispered Makoto.

Sure enough, Ranma walked up to the small group of young women; a nervous smile on his face. "It's okay fer me to eat here?"

"Sure," exclaimed Makoto and Usagi warmly.

As he got seated, Ranma looked around at the young ladies who had welcomed him. They ranged in hair colors and expressions, but they were all extremely attractive. Even the tomboy was a looker under all those male clothes. "Um, listen, I appreciate you letn' me sit wit' you, but I'm seeing someone. Just wanted ta get that out 'for ya want something like that."

Usagi nodded her head quickly. "Don't worry. We heard that when you first showed up in class. None of us are going to break that." She cast a quick and pointed glance to her friends, "Right?"

Minako nodded her head, "Yeah, I know when not to poach." But then she looked at Ranma and smiled wickedly, "Just don't ask me not to look, I could hurt myself"

Ranma smiled roguishly, "Can't have that, can we?"

Haruka rolled her eyes, "Typical." Though Michiru jabbed her in the side with her shoulder, the blonde didn't cease her mildly disgusted glare.

"Of what," asked Ranma, the surprise he felt at her tone was clear on his voice.

"You've got a girl and you're flirting with a different one. Typical male."

The blood in Ranma's veins began to boil at the implication. "Have three chicks bomb your wedding and try to kill your fiancé, then tell me how typical I am," he roared.

Everyone in the circle, including a wide-eyed Haruka, looked at Ranma with open-mouthed shock. "D, did that really happen," squeaked Usagi.

"Yeah," muttered Ranma softly, while focusing his gaze on the one who questioned his fidelity.

Michiru chose that moment to speak up for her lover. "Listen Ranma, Haruka is sorry. She just has some issues with men." At the same time, she sent a glare towards said woman.

Haruka nodded her head. "Yeah, sorry." Even she could see the truth of Ranma's words on his expression.

Ranma stared at the offending young woman for a few moments more before nodding and then looking away. "Maybe I should go sit somewhere else."

"No Ranma," exclaimed Usagi. "You don't have to do that. We were hoping we could be friends."

The prospect of friendship was really tempting to Ranma, so much so that he said, in a eager voice, "Really?" To his surprise, and joy, all the girls, even a somewhat reluctant Haruka, nodded. "Wow."

"Yeah," said Makoto. "I'm Makoto Kino, and you've met Usagi and Haruka. The rest are Ami, Minako, and Michiru." In turn, each woman nodded or waved at their new friend.

Not able to restrain her curiosity any longer, Ami broke in on the conversation. "How did you do that back in class? I mean, it shouldn't be possible."

"What, the notes?"

"You were taking notes," squeaked Usagi. "But why so fast?"

At this Ranma's look of confusion became one of embarrassment. "Um, well, I wasn't sure what to write, so I copied it all."

Now it was the girl's turn to look surprised. "Everything," repeated Minako in awe. "No wonder you were going so fast." In her mind, the non-fighting possibilities of such speed began running through her mind at a break-neck pace.

"Yeah, the speed was no prob, had the damnest time keeping the stuff readable and not setting the freaking paper on fire." The way he talked, it was obvious that the feat was of no real consequence.

"Can you teach me how to do that," asked Makoto eagerly.

"Um, I don't know 'bout that. Not sure I can teach anyone. Even if I could, there is no way in hell you'd be moving that fast any time soon."

Makoto frowned, the time equation wasn't something that she had thought of initially. "How long did it take you to learn, I mean you're our age."

"I started learning before I could walk," replied Ranma flatly.

"Oh."

"Still. I can start ya on some easy stuff everyone should know. That'd get ya ready for the big stuff if I can teach ya," offered Ranma. He hated seeing a girl go disappointed, and if teaching her even a bit of the art would make her happy then all the better.

"Oh that would be awesome," gushed Makoto happily.

"But ya should know. I'm not goin' to go easy on ya. Hell," he laughed, "you'll probably hate me before yer done."

Makoto slowly swallowed a bit of food at Ranma's ominous tone. "O, okay."

"Great," cheered Usagi. "You can teach us that and Ami can teach you how to study." A quick, but regal glance, got any recalcitrant Senshi in line and she turned a blinding smile Ranma's way. "That sound good to you?"

With no small bit of trepidation, Ranma looked around at the girls who had just appointed themselves his students. "A, all of ya?"

Not realizing the world of hurt she was about to open up for herself, Haruka crossed her arms and smirked. "What is this? Is the big, bad, martial artist afraid of some girls?"

Once again, Ranma felt a spike of aggression at Haruka's words. But this time, was accompanied by the rush of a challenge invoked. "Hell no, I'll teach the lot of ya! And I think I found my training "assistant"," he chuckled evilly.

Haruka could not suppress the icy tendrils of dread that slid down her back at Ranma's laugh. "Y, you don't have to. I mean, Makoto was the one who wanted it the most."

"Nah," replied Ranma, a wicked grin still splitting his features. "'Koto here's going to be learning from watchin' how ya do things." Just to mess with her mind a bit further, he broke out in maniacal laughter. Fortunately, he wasn't really good at doing such a thing, and the others joined him in his dark revelry. The laughter continued for a while before he broke it off to look at Ami. "So, you the smart one of the group?"

Ami smiled and shrugged, "We are all smart in our own way. I just so happen to excel at school."

"Cool, cool. You mind helpin' me wit' this studying stuff?"

"Of course not. But, if you don't mind the question, why do you not know how to do that already? Surely your previous classes have taught you how."

Ranma shook his head, "Nope. Spent much've my time trainin'. Had only a little schoolin', though I did get decent grades when I could."

"What kind of grades," asked Ami. If she was going to tutor this guy, then she would need to know what sort of student she was dealing with.

"Nuff to pass, not much more," snorted Ranma.

Ami winced, but nodded all the same. "Okay, I will require some further examinations when we get together for studying, but that should give me a good place to start."

"Cool," mumbled the young man around a pork bun.

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For the next few minutes, Ranma and his new friends enjoyed the presence of each other's company. Laughter was shared, as were stories of deeds long since past. As they reveled in their merriment, none could know the terrible battle being waged. At the far edge of Tokyo, Maomolin the Ghost Cat was fighting a desperate war of survival.

When the Lynx first came to him, it had promised power. Power to beat the accursed Ranma Saotome, and power to claim Shampoo as his own. Such promises were intoxicating to the phantom. Yet, even though he would like nothing more than to claim what the Lynx spirit enticed him with, Maomolin felt a measure of reluctance. As a spirit, he was invested with powers and senses mere mortals could not hope to fathom. On occasion, he could see the dark presence hovering behind the warm smile of his fellow feline. Unfortunately, such sights proved a less than able warning and, before he knew what was happening, the Lynx struck.

The battle was the most agonizing and slow that Maomolin had ever participated in. Almost instantly, Lynx had dove into him and the fight began in earnest. Across the plains of his soul, the Ghost Cat desperately attempted to hold the invader at bay. But it was a hopeless pursuit and Maomolin knew it. Still, he did not yield an inch without fighting like hell. With each inch taken away from him, the Bakeneko was able to peer ever deeper into the darkness assailing him. Though his own past had been questionable, what he saw chilled even his undead soul. In his heart of hearts, he knew that only one person could save others from the monster he was becoming. With the last of his strength, Maomolin focused all his thoughts on a singular phrase, "Ranma Saotome has the Crystal." Even as the darkness consumed him, the Ghost Cat prayed that Saotome would be able to end it quickly.

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As the final bell of the day rang out through the school like the starting call of the Kentucky Derby, students from all walks of life rushed from the class like rampaging cattle. Though he wished to leave just as much as his classmates, Ranma packed his satchel with the same diligence taken to load it at lunch. With the last item firmly secured, he felt a presence at the front of his desk. Looking up, Ranma saw the wide-smiling Usagi standing there. Her whole frame was positively shaking with anticipation. "What's up," asked Ranma.

"Weeellll," she drawled with a smile, "we were going to get some ice cream and then study some. I was hoping you'd like to come along."

Seeing her expectant gaze, and her wide, glistening, eyes, Ranma had trouble even thinking about turning her down. Still, Kasumi had told him before he left that she wanted to have an outing after class. So the question was how can he satisfy both? "I wish I could bring her," he muttered softly.

It was obviously not soft enough to obscure it from Usagi's ear, and she leaned forward with a smile. "You talking about your girlfriend?"

Ranma nodded, "Her name's Kasumi, and yeah. She wants ta do somethin' after school."

"Well why don't you bring her," asked Usagi.

"You don't mind?"

"Nah, bring her. We'd love to have her."

"Great," cried Ranma happily. "I'll go get her."

"Cool, we'll be at the Crown Arcade," said the happy girl before she bolted from the room.

Ranma watched the girl run from the room with a smile. With his introduction to the "real" world, the newfound Alexander was beginning to enjoy the normalcy others took for granted. Picking up his satchel, he walked from the room slower than his fellow students. Taking his time was a new experience for him. For all his life normal had been something that happened to other people. "Normal" for Ranma was always martial arts. It was always traveling, never knowing when the next meal may come. Normal was princes, fighters, and other assorted weirdoes assaulting him and those who were nearby on some damn-fool crusade for vengeance or a bride. Now, as he walked the halls and listened to the gossip flowing around, Ranma realized that what he considered the norm, was in actuality the very far edge of sanity. Even Furienken, a place he had long thought to be the norm for schools, was looking to be just another fringe hotbed of craziness. There, the topics could, and did, range from inquires about a certain boy, to plans for a large scale attack, from the next class to an in-depth discussion on which type of trigger was best used in commercial land mines. Here at this new school, Ranma saw that normal people did talk about boys, and girls, but also their hopes, their dreams, what they feared, and what gave them joy.

All of that, and more, cris-crossed around Ranma, in a teeming mass of souls all looking to quench their own desires in a world were mediocrity was a more common element than oxygen. He had tasted the glory and excitement they all craved, and for a long while it was good. Now, as he looked upon them all, as they went about their lives, Ranma knew that its exquisite flavor was nothing more than a bitter ash. Here was life, where people found true heroism and glory. And Ranma envied every one of them. "_Things are changin' though,_" he thought happily. Before, he had himself and his art, and maybe his Pops. Now, he had a family, and a girlfriend, and, if everything played itself out, friends. Total normalcy would never be his to have, that much Ranma was sure of, but perhaps he could, if only a little, drink from the cup of normality. "_A man couldn't ask fer more._" That thought singing though his mind, Ranma smiled and, with a tightening of his leg muscles, jumped up onto the nearest building. Kasumi would be waiting and he'd be damned if he let her down.

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Sitting in one of the large recliners resting in the Alexander's small library, Kasumi Tendo was thoroughly engrossed in the pages of a book. It was an English copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's work, The Hobbit. Though she had read other stories before, this was the first of his works she engaged. Tolkien's style was unusual to her, as she was used to Japanese tales, but it intrigued her greatly and, like her boyfriend, the novelty of the situation was exciting. For years, reading had been something she rarely enjoyed, and it was almost always at night when all other chores had been completed. Today though, Yori had put a kibosh on any work done by her and as such Kasumi had the whole day to herself.

Though they hadn't been together more than a few days, Kasumi felt a since of loss with Ranma not around. School was important, and she knew it, but she needed him. Not so much in a physical manner, though such needs were there, it was more that she wanted him around. With him at school, there was no one around the house she knew. So she retreated to the library to read and pass the time before her beloved returned. In the silence of the room, the only thing, other than the book, that kept her from feeling too bad was a constant warmth in the background of her soul. It almost felt as if Ranma was there with her, though she plainly knew that he wasn't. Between bouts of Hobbits and Dwarves, Kasumi pondered on whether or not the phenomenon was a by-product of the link she had shared with her beau.

Whatever it was, suddenly there was a spike. A surge of energy flowed through her like a warm wave. It made her shudder with delight. With a smile and an almost giddy laugh, she knew what the source was. Placing the book on the small table next to her, Kasumi practically ran through the halls of the Alexander home like a kid on Christmas morning. Along the way, she saw several members of the staff and other family members. Each received a quick wave and a, "Sorry, can't talk!" The halls and side rooms passed by in a blur until she reached the front door and threw it open. Just as she expected, there, standing on the stoop, was her beloved with his arm extended to open he door.

Kasumi did not give the surprised Ranma a chance to say anything before she hurled herself into his arms. "Mmm, good to see you."

Ranma smiled and wrapped his arms around his newfound love and squeezed gently. "Same 'ere."

Pulling away slightly, Kasumi smiled. "How was your day?"

He shrugged, "Eh, you know. School's school. Met some new friends though."

"That's great Ranma. Its good that you're acclimating so quickly."

"Yeah, well, they sort've invited me to hang with them." Immediately, he knew that was the wrong thing to say, as Kasumi's whole face collapsed in on itself. Quickly, he added, "I did ask if ya could come though, Kasumi."

"Really," she asked hopefully.

"Of course! And they said it'd be fine fer you to come." Finding himself on uneasy ground, he added, "I, if you want to come along that is."

As she looked at Ranma, Kasumi could see that he felt that he was walking a tightrope. Given his track record with women, it was a reasonable position to be in. And while she did feel hurt for a moment, the young woman smiled when her boyfriend admitted to asking about her. That showed a care and foresight about their relationship that he had never shown with Akane; and realizing that made her heart smile. She leaned in for a kiss before saying, "Sure I do. I'd love to spend time with you and meet your new friends." But, before she could let him go, Kasumi added, "But I do want some us time too."

"Yeah, I know," replied Ranma with a shy smile. "Me too."

"As you should," she said with a haughty smile. "So where are we to meet them?"

Ranma shrugged, "A place called the Crown Arcade."

"Oh, Setsuna was telling me about that earlier. Apparently, it is a popular hangout for people our age."

The pig tailed young man rolled his eyes. "Great, teen heart throbs and crappy music."

"He he," giggled Kasumi. "Probably. But who knows, you may have fun. And Ranma."

"Yeah?"

"If they have ice cream, you ARE allowed to enjoy it as a guy."

He answered with a smile and a nod. "Okay. But I'll tell ya, the damn stuff tastes sweeter when I'm a girl."

"Well that's simple," she giggled as she closed the door behind her. "Us girls are just so sweet."

Ranma smiled, but also rolled his eyes at the show of feminine pride by his beloved. "Tell that to 'kane next time ya see 'er, why don't you," he humorously groused as they pair began walking away from the Alexander compound.

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Above the streets of Tokyo, a man was skulking along the rooftops. In the grand scheme of things, Alpha Centauri was a rather small and insignificant star cluster. It had not been blessed with life like Sol or other stars. For centuries, it had looked upon those stars with envy. The dream of every star was to enhance life, to look upon its worlds with a caring eye, all the while knowing that, at least to a minority, it was appreciated. Such was not the destiny for Alpha Centauri though and as such, it was a perfect candidate for Draco's predatory eye. When the corrupted Titan came to Alpha Centauri, he did so as a sympathetic friend. He claimed to possess knowledge on how attain the pure goals the cluster desired. But that path proved to be one of darkness.

Now, Alpha Centauri wanted power and the Crystal. By finding the later, promised his lord, it would lead to the former. So, it came to Earth, the home of the Crystal. Landing near a large gathering of the native humans, it took over the one who was obviously one of the upper class. The man wore brilliantly embroidered silken jacket, vest, and pants. And even the large black crest of hair spoke to nobility and command. With body in hand, Alpha Centauri began his hunt.

The metropolis in which he chose his hunting grounds was vast and filled with countless souls, but soon he came across a likely candidate. It was a young man with black hair. Even to Centauri's meager senses, power rolled off of the being. Added to that was the unmistakable signature of the Crystal. Surely such a person could be the wielder of such a phenomenal talisman. With the utmost caution, Centauri tracked the target through the city streets. As the vessel met up with a young woman, obviously his mate, Centauri smiled evilly. "If I take the woman, he will surely give up the Crystal in exchange for her," he said to himself.

He continued his vigil until the pair turned onto a particularly empty side-street. Once there, Alpha Centauri summoned a ball of darkness into his had before hurling it at the happy couple.

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The only warning Ranma received as to the sudden attack was a slight twitching of his danger sense, but, for the master martial artist, that was more than enough time. Acting on instinct alone, Ranma grabbed Kasumi in his arms and jumped high into the air. Below, the heat of the explosion was searing and its crack like that of thunder. Utilizing the aerobatic acumen of his school, he twisted and turned so that, when he landed, he was far away from the blast and the shock for Kasumi was minimal. With the utmost care, he pushed his girlfriend behind him so that he could devote his full attention to the opponent; and, if necessary, absorb any further attacks with his body.

"What's going on," asked Kasumi fearfully. Though she had seen battles of Ranma's before, this was the first where she was at ground zero.

"No clue. But stay back, I'll keep ya safe." Frantically, Ranma searched the surroundings for a possible adversary. To his surprise, he found none. No weirdly dressed crazy. No absurd speeches about Hell and what part Ranma played in either going there or sending the affronted to said locale. And, quite frankly, their absence scared the hell out of him. It meant that he was facing an opponent who meant business.

Suddenly, from behind, he felt another presence. As he turned, he yelled out, "Behind you!" The warning though, came too late, and as he fully faced his love, Ranma saw that the fiend who had attacked them had her in his grasp.

"I have your woman, boy. She and I will enjoy wine and song, no," asked Kasumi's captor as he ran a hand across her supple curves.

Ranma felt a rage beyond any he had ever experienced before. In the old days, Kasumi had been a non-target for all the crazies who came by. Now, she was more than just a kind soul, she was his heart, his life, and he would be damned before anyone harmed her. "Get yer hands off 'er creep!"

The man shook his head sadly, "Come now, how can you expect me to follow your commands if they are worded so poorly? It is your language, do try to show it proper respect. And, I would have you know, my name is not Creep, it is Alpha Centauri, though I shall permit you to call me Centauri. As for your woman? Well, if you give me the Crystal, then, perhaps, she shall see another sunrise."

Now Ranma was scared. Before, he thought that this Centauri guy was just after him for some damn fool reason like revenge. He didn't want that though, he was after some item and was sure that Ranma had it. That truly chilled Ranma's soul. "_What the hell is this freakin' crystal_," he thought frantically. His train of thought was derailed by the look of pure terror on Kasumi's face. All his skills and maneuvers vanished and he could only think about saving her. He didn't even feel the chain at his neck grow warm against his skin. "Please," he begged helplessly, "just let her go. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come now. Surely you jest. I can feel the Crystal's energy on you as clear as day. Just give it to me before my patience runs out."

"But I don't have any crystals on me!"

Centauri sighed, "A shame." With a gently tug, he pulled the girl's terrified face to look at him, "Well, it would be a waste to damage such a beauty a yours, my dear. Perhaps pain will be a better motivator for your intended."

Through her tears, Kasumi gasped, "Please no!"

"He brought this on himself. Shadows, STRIKE!"

From the darkness behind Centauri emerged a pair of creatures. Both possessed a dark translucence and shared a resemblance to spiders, though they were much larger. With a weird, warbling, cry they mercilessly charged forward towards the pig tailed teen.

With this new attack Ranma found himself on the ropes. Both creatures were inhumanly fast and it was painfully clear that they were intelligent. They were also sadistic, for though their talons were sharp enough to cleave cars in twain, the shadows took care to just barely cut into Ranma. Each cut was a font of agony for the young man, but none were enough to kill him. As more and more attacks came in, it was all he could do to maintain even a semblance of a defense.

Fortunately for Ranma, he was a genius when it came to combat. Through the pain and the terror over Kasumi's well being, his battle-hardened mind began to discern a pattern to the shadow's attacks. As one of the shadows cross its teammate, Ranma struck out at its hind leg with a punch strong enough to shatter hardened concrete. To his surprise, both of the shadows and Centauri cried out when the blow landed.

Though she was scared, Kasumi was also the daughter of one of the most capable martial artists on the planet. While she had eschewed serious training for the care for her family, Soun had insisted that his she maintain an arsenal of personal defensive skills. Seeing that her captor's attention was directed elsewhere, Kasumi drove her foot down his shin and into his foot. Kasumi regretted hurting him, but made no attempt to apologize as she extricated herself from his weakened grasp. Free from her captor, the Tendo daughter rushed towards her battered, but not beaten, love.

With the Centauri's loss of concentration, his deadly shadows lost their corporeal forms. Their dispersion allowed Ranma a chance to regain his breath. That was quickly expelled as Kasumi wrapped him up with a iron-strong hug. "Kasumi," he gasped from both a lack of air and her pressure on several of his wounds, "you okay?"

"Yes, but what about him?"

Looking past her glorious mane of hair, Ranma cast a hate filled gaze towards Centauri's crumpled form. "I'm gonna hafta beat his ass inta the ground," he growled.

From the ground, Centauri began to laugh, "Oh ho ho, this is too exquisite. You think your paltry attacks are enough to best one of my caliber? I am the first emperor of the mighty Centauri Empire. I had thought to spare your lives, but now I shall kill you and have my way with your woman until I bore of her then she too will die." To emphasize his claims of superiority, the frilled being stood confidently and unblemished. From the darkness behind him emerged three of the shadows, two to his left and one on the right. The nearest of the left ones made a dark keening sound that wrenched Kasumi and Ranma's brains before skittering over to Centauri. As the two beings touched, the shadow began slide across its master's body like an ooze; all the while, he continued to laugh in that deep east-European voice of his.

To Kasumi and Ranma's eyes, their attacker morphed from a regal, if odd, looking man into a creature out of the darkest of nightmares. It had a triangular head with multiple eyes that glowed with an angry golden fire. Its skin flowed like liquid obsidian and each of its many spines looked razor sharp. As the transformation transpired, Ranma desperately sought out a place to flee with Kasumi and keep her safe. The buildings surrounding them were all residential apartments, meaning buzzers and alarms. Sure, he could break in without any problems, but the resulting sirens would bring down every officer in a twenty block radius, and he didn't want them anywhere near the beast. So, he was forced to choose the least favorable of options. "Kasumi," he whispered.

"Yes," she replied over Ranma's shoulder.

"Get in that doorway and stay put. I'll keep you safe."

Kasumi gently touched her love's shoulder. "I know."

As his girlfriend ensconced herself in the alcove behind him, Ranma smiled grimly. With the echoes of Saffron still echoing in his mind, he knew that this was yet another serious battle. All the stops would have to be removed if he was to win the day. So, with a mighty roar, the Alexander male scythed both arms in the shadow-Centauri's direction. A pair of faint disruptions in the local surroundings were the only signs that Ranma had done anything. It was with a heavy heart that he unleashed the sealed schools. Genma had sealed them for a damn good reason, but standard martial arts were no match for this monster.

The blades of vacuum streaked across the street faster than most people can think. One sliced deep into one of the legs of the amalgam creature, while the other grazed its upper arm. These attacks generated a cry of pain and outrage before the wounds healed as if there had never been any damage. Again the creature screamed its terrible call and from a point just below its eyes a violet beam lanced out at Ranma.

Nowhere in any of the schools he had mastered was there an ability that allowed one to shield himself. All of Ranma's training suggested that he dodge the deadly beam and allow it to pass him by a mile. But now, he was in a position of defense, one that he could not possibly abandon. So, he did what he was always best at, he improvised. In an instant a second pair of blades were rushing down range but instead of being nothing but vacuum, they were filled with ki. The attacks proved to be enough, for when they struck the beam all three exploded. Ranma was not even allowed a moment of respite though, as a lance of pain erupted in his shoulder. To his surprise, one of the shadows had used the brief instant of distraction to skitter over and stab him. A quick, low powered, Moko Takabisha was enough to send the thing slinking back for the moment. It was not alone though, and soon its mate joined in on the sadistic pleasure.

On any normal day, Ranma would be considered in the same league as the top one percent of martial artists on the planet. He could perform feats that made anime and the wirework of Hong Kong look like poor imitators. This was no ordinary day though. The ferocity of his opponents, coupled with his immobile shoulder, rapid blood loss, and stationary positioning meant that he was slowly loosing. From the outside, Ranma looked like a fierce typhoon. Those who knew better though, saw that the end would soon come.

As it came upon him, Ranma felt as if his entire world had slowed to a terrible crawl. With a cold pit in his stomach, he felt himself slip on his own blood while attempting to dodge one of the two shadows. The other fiend slid in and capitalized of his loss of balance by slamming one of its arms deep into his other shoulder. From the far side of the street, Centauri dealt the final blow. Screaming towards him at what seemed to be a snail's pace, Ranma saw yet another one of the abomination's violet beams draw a line across the battle field. When the searing lance intersected his body, Ranma knew with morbid certainty that he was dead. The beam had struck his heart, or close to it, either way, there was no coming back from such a wound. As his life's blood poured out irrevocably, Ranma's final thoughts before the blackness consumed him were, "_I'm so sorry Kasumi._"

While her love fought valiantly to once again stave off death's cold embrace, Kasumi experienced a heady brew of terror, pride, despair, love, and helplessness. She could see that this was different from the standard Nerima fare. But what truly chilled her soul was the terrible, inescapable, truth that she was going to watch the love of her life get slaughtered in a most horrific fashion. What made it even worse was the knowledge that, had she not been there, Ranma may be doing a lot better, he may have even won the day. When the Centauri creature landed his attack and her love's hot blood sprayed across her face like some unholy baptism Kasumi could not contain the scream that bubbled up from the depths of her soul. It was the cry of a wife who had lost her husband, the cry of children yet to be born, it was the cry of a woman who's soul died but her body still lived. As the body of her beloved fell into her arms, Kasumi stared into his lifeless eyes and tearfully kissed his bloodstained lips one last time. "Goodbye, Ranma," she whispered painfully.

Suddenly, a bright light filled the young woman's vision and she knew, without a doubt, that her end was coming too. Not caring one iota of the world she would be leaving behind, Kasumi jumped headlong toward the light and towards peace everlasting.

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For a time incalculable to man, silence descended upon the universe.

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Then, like the crack of some mighty maw against a titanic anvil a sound breached the silence.

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And then another.

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And yet another.

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More and more cracks pieced the silence. One after another. Beat after beat. Until the silence was filled with the steady beating of some colossal heart.

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From the darkness and the silence, the steady thrumming slowly pieced the veil until one who slept the sleep of death woke up. With almost titanic effort, a young man opened his eyes onto all of creation. Spread out into the infinite were the multitude of stars. They warmed and welcomed him like proud parents; and to Ranma's confused mind, they were a welcome sight. Slowly, thoughts and recollections coalesced in his mind and he realized that he was dead.

_**"Not yet, Ranma Alexander,"**_ uttered a voice.

Ranma had heard that voice before, "Phoenix?"

_**"Indeed."**_

"Where are we?"

_**"Between moments,"**_ replied Phoenix cryptically. _**"You were on the razor's edge of death, so I withdrew you in the brief instant before death took you."**_

"Well thanks," drawled Ranma dryly. "Could've done with some savin' a tad earlier." Suddenly a terrible thought spiked through his mind. "Crap! Where's Kasumi? She okay? How coulda ya leave 'er there?"

_**"Be at peace,"**_ urged the flaming bird. _**"Here, between the moments, your mate is safe. She is being tended to by another."**_

Ranma heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Thank god."

_**"You find yourself in an unique situation, Ranma. No matter what you do, you shall die. Yet, you have the option of what comes next."**_

"What'd ya mean?"

_**"Well, I can let you go as you were at the moment before and you shall pass on to the next existence. Or, there is another option. You could choose to accept my initial offer and become my avatar."**_

The last statement hung in the air for a moment before Ranma asked, "How'd that gonna help me not die?"

_**"Remember the story of the Phoenix,"**_ said the majestic creature, its tone shining clearly with a smile. _**"You would die, but would also be reborn."**_

"Like Saffron," gasped Ranma.

_**"Yes and no. Yours would be a perfect rebirth, like a Phoenix in the fullness of his power. As the fires of your death die to nothing but ash, you shall spring forth fully realized and ready to defeat he who had faced you.**_

_**Now, You must choose. Choose your path and your future."**_

On the very edge of death, with a lifetime worth of experiences yet to be seen, an enemy to be defeated, and a girlfriend who he desperately wanted to see again, Ranma made his choice. And in choosing was consumed by death.

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As the light faded, Kasumi found herself sitting under a willow at the top of a hill, which over looked the ocean. Though the tranquil scene was enough to sooth even the most tattered of souls, she could only stare out and cry. Tracing their bitter lines down her cheeks, Kasumi thought back to her father. For years, she had, on some level, been ashamed of the man. Now though, she knew what pain the man was still experiencing and marveled at his ability to do anything at all. To her, Ranma's passing left a great chasm in her soul. And while time may do some to fill that void, the sobbing young woman knew she would never truly be whole again.

_**"Do not despair Kasumi Tendo."**_

Looking to her left, Kasumi saw a graceful woman approaching her. In the cool winds her long hair, the color of the summer sun, flowed like gentle waves in a pond. The woman's demeanor was calm and warm, like a mother approaching her crying child. Though she had never seen the woman before, something about her rang familiar, "Cygnus."

_**"Yes, dear one. It is I."**_

Without thinking, Kasumi flung herself towards the older woman and began to sob into her shoulder. How long they stayed that way, who can say, but finally Kasumi was able to speak. "Ranma's dead," she wailed.

_**"I know, my child. But all is not lost. Your Ranma is speaking with my mate, there still may be a way to save him. So do not burden yourself any longer, I am here to talk to you about our last meeting."**_

"Y, you mean you still want me?"

Cygnus looked at Kasumi with confusion, _**"Why would I not?"**_

"But I was so useless. A, all I c,could do was watch as that monster k,killed Ranma!"

_**"Sometimes, you must accept that there is nothing you can do to avert the fate before you. But that does not mean you need do so this time. There is another path."**_

"Becoming your avatar?"

_**"Yes. By doing so, you will be able to make a real difference in the coming struggle."**_

Kasumi thought about Cygnus' offer for a moment. When they had last spoken she had been reluctant to participate in combat, such things were the purview of Ranma and the others, now things were different. Now, she had felt the heat of her beloved's blood splashed across her face. She had experienced the frightful horror of facing death and not being able to lift a single finger to protect herself in any meaningful manner.

Now, she had an opportunity to change all that forever.

And if there she learned one thing from Nabiki, it was that opportunity waits for no one.

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Centuari looked on the dead body of the young man and his blood-stained companion proudly. "Such a grand triumph for the mighty Centauri Empire." Just as he was making the thought that would have propelled his body forward, the entire region was bathed in energy. The tidal wave of power was so intense that he and his minions were pushed back like a leaf in the wind. When he finally came to a stop, the dark fiend quickly looked over to where his recent opposition was.

To the creature's horror, the woman was floating several feet above the ground, surrounded by a nimbus of light. On the ground, the earthly remains of the man he butchered were burning, the flames charring flesh and bone. Even as the rank odor of burning flesh ate at his nostrils, the brilliance of the light seared his eyes. Brighter and brighter, hotter and hotter. In death and light the couple were joined in a display that was as primal as it was beautiful. Centauri looked upon neither with awe or wonder, only dread and horror. The waves of power washing over him were terrifyingly familiar. Every ounce of his being wanted to flee the tableau, but the power wrapped itself around his soul and held him in place.

As muscle and fat burned, the flames grew in intensity and height. Higher and higher, until the orange tongues of flame could have singed the hair off a man's head. Given the heat of the fire, it was not surprising when, in a short amount of time, the body was utterly consumed. Even when all that remained of the great martial artist was a blackened pile of ashes, still the flames raged on. They danced and writhed about in that way which so fascinates mortal minds. On and on they danced away, drawing closer in an intimate embrace. Out of the chaos of the flame emerged the form of a man, as bright and as fiery as the sun.

Above, the light surrounding Kasumi pulsed like a heart. Its waxing and waning left no place for the shadows to run. So they were left to contend with the pure radiance of the light. A light, which could have only come from the heart of a woman so full of goodness and warmth that it bordered on the divine. Though the shadows and Centauri skittered at the light's edges, desperately seeking the safety of the darkness, other creatures basked in the light and were renewed by its warmth. Even as the light intensified, it drew in, growing tighter until its radiance was in the shape of a perfectly proportioned woman.

In perfect synchronization, both the fiery man and the radiant woman exploded into a billion motes of light. Such was the brightness of the burst that even the untainted had to avert their eyes, lest they be blinded. As the light dimmed, and the afterimages faded, the two forms reveled themselves for all to see.

Standing tall a proud, the fiery male surveyed the field of battle with a practiced eye. Not one shred of information was lost to his eyes. In the small breeze, which wafted gently through the street, his outfit swayed and rippled across his muscular frame. Looser than one would expect for a fighter's garb, the crimson and charcoal silk robes still evoked an image of power barely restrained. In golden filigree, twin phoenixes danced and flowed between the red and black patches in a glorious display of grace. Even the remaining flames on the surrounding ground seemed to dance in silent supplication as recognition of the man's power.

Where the man was power controlled yet barely harnessed, his hovering companion was grace incarnate. Floating on graceful, but powerful, wings of the purest white, the woman looked down with a smile that promised destruction for the wicked and revelation for the righteous. Her long hair floated lazily on the cooling winds, which attempted to bring peace to the discord of the battlefield. Garbed in long blue and white robes, this angel appeared more at home among the heavens than in the trenches of combat joined.

Looking upon the two people, Centauri could barely suppress the quaking his terror created within him. Though he had been blessed with power by the Great Draco, the soul of Alpha Centauri could admit that it could never best the pair before him. Phoenix and Cygnus were among the most powerful of the traitorous band that had denied the glory of chaos. No star, no matter how bright, could stand against such powerful constellations. And, while he wanted to revel in chaos in the pursuit of his empire, he held no illusions as to the chance for victory. Even escape was denied to him, as Cygnus' light was already sapping his will to flee. With flight no longer an option, fighting was all that was left.

Crying loudly, Centauri pulled on the totality of his power and summoned a legion of followers to crush his foes. From the darkness one shadow after another burst forward to engage in sadistically amazing melee. And, like the darkness from which they sprang, they would never stop, never slow down, until Centauri, or those he battled, was dead.

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As the shadows closed in on all sides the young man who had once been Ranma Saotome grinned feraly. Before, these creatures had played upon his weakness and slew him. Now he was at the advantage. With a cry of warning and challenge, Ranma spun towards the nearest of the shadows. In his wake were hot contrails of fire, as the very air burst into flames around him. Using the spin to enhance his speed, he moved into a harsh spinning axe kick that dropped an ignited appendage on the crown of a shadow. Even as the sickening crunch of bone echoed through the street, Ranma was moving against its cohorts. Thrusting out with both arms, Ranma missed his targets by a wide margin but that did not matter for the martial artist, as twin bolts of flaming death launched out from his fists. Before, he had fought these fiends with at a disadvantage, skills, he had spent a lifetime honing to a razor's edge, blunted by pain and fear. Now, he was the one who had them on the ropes, it was he who sowed terror among the ranks of the terrifying. And he did not fight alone.

Even as Ranma cut a flaming swath through the hordes of darkness, Kasumi floated above the field of battle. Looking down at the whirling tornado of carnage that was her beloved, she felt a glorious, soaring of love and pride. There had been times before when she had seen him as the heroic warrior who saved the day, but never more than she did now. Tears of joy flowed down her angelic face. "_He's alive_," she thought triumphantly. But, unlike last time she was not the kitten, mewling in fright as another fought and died for her sake, she had power and was one with the light. She put her new powers to good use. With a wave of her hand, a dazzling wall of energy appeared to blunt the efforts of those shadows who wished to capitalize on a perceived blind spot in her beloved's defenses. Some, who sought to undo her, jumped to attack only to find their efforts undone by a shield of the purest light, which enveloped Kasumi like a warm cocoon. At times, when the devils were too much for her walls to hold back, the mistress of light released a calming wave that slowed the creatures to a grinding halt; giving Ranma plenty of time to finish the fiends. And, when Centauri's violent beams looked to have her love's mark, Kasumi dispatched them with a lance of her power.

Between the two of them, the gentle winds and the roaring storm, the shadows were pushed back in short order. Their campaign was made all the easier when Kasumi noticed that the shadows did not return to those places she had consecrated with her light. So, with a slow yeah glorious march, the abominations were downed one after another until all that remained was their leader. Even through his dark armor the pair could see the blind panic on Centauri's face. The surrounding temperature dropped by a fantastic degree, cracking the armor from the rapid change. All the ambient heat was pulled in as fuel for the blazing inferno that was Ranma's aura. With a loud cry, the phoenix-boy released a roaring torrent of fire towards the man that had caused much pain in such little time. Though the armor had withstood some of Ranma's most deadly attacks, the searing heat ripped away that protection as if it had been made of kindling.

When the fires had died down, a singed Centauri was kneeling on scorched parcel of concrete. Only the boy's will had saved him from being utterly consumed and he knew it. "I, I can see that you are merciful people, yes. P, perhaps you will let myself off with a warning," he asked desperately. "Maybe you would join with me. Power such as yours can be used for many great things."

"Ya kill me and scare my girlfriend and you want ta join up?! Are you crazy," cried Ranma indignantly. With long, purposeful, strides, the angry young man moved over to his beaten foe and hoisted him up with one arm. "I should kill ya fer what ya did to us," he sneered, as he pressed a dagger of fire close to the villain's neck. "Yer just lucky that I know yer all messed up by the same guy that's got that idiot Herb. So, I'll do somthin' that yer goin ta think is way worse." With an angry throw, Ranma dropped the seared man down in the middle of the road.

As the still floating Kasumi began to glow radiantly, Centauri looked on in horror. "Please, I beg of you. Do not do this."

Despite all that this "man" had done to both her and her beloved, Kasumi could not suppress the wave of pity that suffused her being at seeing him beg so pathetically. Still, he HAD caused much suffering and allowing the darkness within him to remain would be a bigger sin. With a sigh, Kasumi called upon the powers of purification granted to her by Cygnus. Behind the floating girl appeared a golden circle filled with runes of cleansing and purity from a hundred different languages. Eyes blazing with holy light, she said, "Seed of hatred, back to the cold dark with you." From the purification seal erupted a beam of intense radiance. In an eye blink it streaked towards the prone form of Centauri.

The stricken being cried out in agony as the light began to battle against the darkness which corrupted it. At every turn the taint tried to keep the soul of Alpha Centauri in its vile grip, but the light would not submit. Just as the darkest of nights can be dispelled by dawn's early light, the darkness was driven away. In its place was joy, pure and more wonderful than the greatest of euphorias, every cell of Centauri's human host sang with its wonder. As the cleansing wave withdrew, it left the man healed, both in spirit and in body. Slowly, he stood on unsteady legs. Both Ranma and Kasumi were surprised to see the tears flowing down the man's cheeks. "My friends," he announced happily. "I thank you for sparing me from the creature I had become." He waved the couple over with a hearty laugh, "Please, come here. I wish to give you a token of my thanks."

Ranma cast a dubious look Kasumi's way. But she just smiled. "It's no trick Ranma. I can sense none of the taint in him."

"Okay, "I'll go with that."

From either side of the field of combat, the couple walked to the center and the penitent man who stood there. When they reached them, Centauri gave each a deep hug. "I am but a humble star and what I have to offer pales in comparison to the gifts you have received from Phoenix and Cygnus, but I do have something that I would have you accept."

"Nah," said Ranma. "Ya don't haveta give us something'"

"Nonsense," laughed Centauri. "You have done for me a great service. I am now in your debt. A debt that can be paid, in part, right now. I sense in you both, a connection. It is tenuous at best but it is still there, giving you each strength beyond your measure. It is my wish to strengthen this bond. Would that be agreeable to you both?"

Kasumi looked at her boyfriend with a hopeful smile. Since that night when he almost left her for good, she had felt like she was linked to the handsome young man. When the link was stronger she had felt better, more whole, than she had before. To feel that all the time was a very tempting offer. Such things though, could not be decided upon alone. In a way, what Centauri was offering was marriage, but deeper and more intimate. "_He may not even want an old hag like me_," she thought sadly.

The implications of Centauri's offer were not lost on Ranma either. Initially, the idea sparked a fear in him that could have only been created in the crucible of the Nerima Fiancé Wars. Yet, as the thought of being joined to Kasumi was further mulled about he began to appreciate it more and more. Like Kasumi, he too had felt the sparks between them. And he had known, on some level at least, that he wanted to wed her. "_Hell_," he thought wryly, "_she's gotten farther than all the others combined_." But that had always been a moment that occurred sometime in the future, after the ever-elusive peace had been attained. Then there was the war to think about. Already he had died once. Could he, in good conscious, bond with her then go running off to laugh death in the face for a second time?

Ranma turned and looked his girlfriend dead in the eye. What he saw was so clear that he didn't need his family's gift to understand it. She wanted to be joined to him more than anything else in her life. But she was so afraid, afraid of the rejection she was sure to come. He reached out and took her hand in his own. "I want to do it. But only if you do."

Kasumi squeezed his hand tightly. "I do."

"Glorious," exclaimed Centauri with a clap of his hands. With the little amount of power at his command he reached out to touch the couple's auras. Though nowhere near as powerful as the big boys, he did have his tricks. All that was required was a subtle shifting of certain astral lines and his gift was given. "Ah! There we are." He smiled at the wide, wondrous gaze on the faces of the two he had wounded so terribly. "Now, if you are quite pleased with the results, I must return this poor fellow to his comrades. If you would excuse me."

The dazed Ranma nodded slowly. "Uh, yeah. Sure."

"Good, good." With one last laugh and smile, Centauri jumped away and out of the couple's lives forever.

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Among the shattered ruins of the once great Musk Empire, the crown prince, Herb, sat on the remains of his throne, oblivious to the elements. He just looked out on the havoc he had wrought with dead eyes filled with black clouds. The grimmest of smiles parted his lips as he took dark pleasure in the fruits of his early victories. "Everything is proceeding exactly as I had planed," he muttered proudly. Across this pathetic mud ball, his factors searched for the crystal. He had not expected the entire planet to be inundated with its power. Luckily, the concentrations in the region of Japan were the highest, so that was where most of those in his employ focused their attentions.

Why, just a few moments ago, one of the lesser members of his organization, that deluded fool Alpha Centauri, sent word that he had a lead on a possible bearer of the Crystal. A quick look through the underling's eyes showed Draco the target. To his surprise, it was none other than Ranma Saotome. That was the second factor that had pointed at the young man. The part of him that was left over from the host, Herb, thought that it was fitting that one such as Ranma would be the person to keep safe an artifact of such power. With great interest, the dark dragon watched the events unfold. Seeing the young man fight so valiantly to protect the woman yet fail at every turn left him with a deeply satisfied feeling. And, when the final blow was struck, the blood gushing from Ranma's heart was one of the most beautiful displays he had ever encountered.

Draco's satisfaction with events soon turned sour as both Ranma and the girl began to exude the power of his enemies, Phoenix and Cygus. "Danm them," he cried in outrage. "How dare they interfere with my plans." The possessed constellation could only watch as his weakest operative was slowly defeated by the very whelp he had just bested. Even through the link, the purifying light, which the girl radiated like a supernova, blinded his blackened eyes. He shared in Centauri's terror and pain as the piece of chaos in that faraway man was seared away, forever blocking Draco's access to him.

Crashing back into his own consciousness like a gigaton bomb, Draco/Herb screamed with unholy rage. He bolted up out of his throne, dark fire rolling across his body in an endless torrent. With an inarticulate cry, the vile thing let loose a terrible blast that further devastated the Musk citadel. "Damn you Ranma Saotome!" Bolts of dark power shot out from his hands in all directions as he vented his frustrations out upon the land.

There would be retribution. And just as his blasts carved up the landscape, so too would his claws carve up the hide of Saotome.

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Across the Jusenkyo valley, the village of the Amazon's prepared for war. Only a short while ago some great calamity had befallen the Musk. So great was the devastation that the flames could be seen even from the village. Since the initial blasts rocked the countryside, a steady stream of refugees flooded towards them. At first, the thought was that they were some sort of army sent by the Musk, or those who had attacked them. But when the battered forms of women and children emerged from the mist, the hardened warriors of the Joketsuzoku opened up their hearts and hearths. What people that were capable of combat were drafted to bolster the ranks of the army. Some of the more conservative sisters balked at such an intrusion, but one word from an Elder made it clear that, in this time of crisis, the old rivalries had to be set aside, lest they all fall.

Standing on one of the parapets overlooking the western wall of the village, Elder Di'al reached out with all her senses. She almost killed herself in the attempt, as a wave of dark malevolence reached out to try and scour her soul. Only centuries of combat against arcane foes allowed her the skill to avoid such an attack. Still, it left her winded, and, as her spirit slammed back into her body, she gasped loudly.

At Di'al's side was the head of the guard, and her granddaughter, Victoria. Her father had been a British explorer who had wondered across Amazon lands and fell for a local warrior. Though the woman was only half Chinese, her's was one of the keenest tactical minds in the village. When her grandmother gasped, Victoria quickly reached out to stabilize the older woman. "Grandmother, are you well?"

Di'al gulped in huge lungfulls of air as she desperately tried to quell her raging heart. Still she managed to nod her head and, in a weak voice say, "I'll live. But I do not know for how long. There is a terrible evil there, my child. One far greater than I have ever encountered." The old woman took a long look off towards where the Musk once lived. "I fear that we do not have enough power to face this foe alone," she muttered gravely.

Victoria cast a quick glance towards the distant fires. "I'll trust your instincts on this. So how can we stop it? Should I send runners to the Phoenix?" A short while ago, such a question would not have been spoken aloud. But that was before the resolute Musk fell, before her grandmother looked so worried.

The old woman sighed heavily. "Yes. Do so immediately. And," she added reluctantly. "I have a vital mission for you."

Like a good soldier, Victoria snapped to attention. "Just name it."

Di'al smiled sadly. "Never look eager for an assignment you know nothing about. My child. I need you to deliver a message to Kho'lon. Tell her to gather all the capable warriors she can find. We will need all the help we can get."

With every fiber of her being, Victoria wanted to deny the order. There were a hundred reasons for her to stay and lead their troops in battle. But there was only one reason to go; the look on her ancestor's face. For the first time, Victoria saw fear and doubt in those eyes. Even though the older woman had written her fair share of the Amazon's over three thousand years of history, Di'al doubted whether their civilization would see it through the oncoming storm. If by leaving and finding Kho'lon hope again reigned on her grandmother's face, then by the goddess she would leave. "Okay grandmother. I'll go and I'll find her."

"Thank you child." From within her robes, the elder withdrew a dagger that appeared to be made of molten earth. "Here, take this with you. It is forged from the blazing heart of an elemental. It will keep you safe."

Victoria accepted the knife with a trace of awe. "Thank you."

"Now go. Hurry. And hope that our foe is more timid than we think."

Quickly enveloping the small woman in what could be their final embrace, Victoria took one last look at her elder before jumping off the wall and into the village. For this mission, speed would be needed. Still, even for a resourceful Amazon such as her, some supplies would be required. if she wanted to make it safely to Japan.

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At another end of the valley, the Phoenix looked towards the ruin of the Musk with trepidation. While the Amazons could look across the ramparts of their villages and see the smoke on the distant horizon, the Phoenix could feel the wrongness in their souls. Though their people were mortal, they retained a touch of their grander heritage. The dark magic reeked through the land, setting everyone' nerves on edge.

Yet, even in times of crisis, for a people to maintain order, the cogs of bureaucracy must ever continue to turn. Such a fact the boy-king Saffron loathed with every fiber of his immortal being. With his rebirth came the wisdom he had been lacking when he and Saotome battled. Patience was his ever-present companion, but the Ministers of War and Agriculture were taxing even his divinely inspired tolerance. At his right hand was the captain of the guard, Kiima. Though he was less than enthusiastic, Saffron took exquisite glee in the bored look on the woman's face.

After a particularly long yawn by his captain, the monarch giggled. "Having fun Kiima?"

The normally reserved woman blushed deeply. "Forgive me, Lord Saffron."

"No need," he replied with a grin. "I too find the court proceedings . . . tedious . . ." Saffron slowly turned his head and looked blankly off in the distance.

Kiima was suddenly on guard. Her king was troubled, and he doubted it s because of bickering politicians. Holding her weapon at the ready, she scanned the area looking for any intruder. Though she could not see anything, that did not mean there were no forces assailing her monarch. "What troubles you lord?" Saffron opened his mouth to speak, but before a word was uttered he was enveloped in a towering pillar of flame. Even though the people of the Phoenix were accustomed to the great heat of their volcanic home, they had to retreat in the face of such an intense inferno. Still, Kiima struggled against the waves of superheated air in an attempt to reach her lord and render even a modicum of aid.

Just as Kiima's reserves were about to fail her, the towering inferno abated to reveal an unharmed Saffron. The ruler looked across at the looks of shock on his subordinate's faces with confusion. "Kiima?"

Sweat poured down the guard's face is great torrents, giving her the appearance of a drowned cat. Kiima was a professional though, and, with a tired sigh, she hauled herself up to attention. "Are you well?"

"I should be the one asking that," replied Saffron with a smile. "But yes, I am perfectly fine. In fact, I am ecstatic. How soon can you have an escort detail prepared?"

"Within the day sire," answered Kiima quickly. "Where shall we be going, my lord?"

"Japan," he said happily. "It seems I have a new brother."

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Author's Notes: Holy Crap. This chapter just kept going and going didn't it. Some important things happened in this on though, including killing Ranma. We have Ranma and Kasumi meeting some major players while at the same time learning of the threat to the universe. Ranma has met the Sailor Senshi, though he doesn't know it yet. Several sources of inspiration were used for portions of this chapter. Centauri is a direct rip of Lando Molari from Babylon 5, as are the shadows. Ranma's fire abilities, moves, and dress are pulled from Avatar Fire Benders and the outfit is a slightly more stylized form of Zuko's after he joins Ang and crew. And, of course, Kasumi's dress is ripped from Beldandy while her spells are a mix of paladin and priest spells. Remember kids, if you steal from multiple sources its harder to notice. lol

Some points of clarification.

1) The Senshi are more than capable of handling most of the threat. Herb will still be an immense challenge but they could nuke most of the rest of his baddies. As said before, the raw power of Saturn can sunder planets. In this instance though, finesse and care is needed to save the day. If Chaos had just taken a normal person, Ranma and others wouldn't be needed, the Senshi could have saved the day. Since Senshi magic is like a poison to the spirits of the constellations, other champions are needed. Don't worry though, Usagi and crew are still relevant and will kick butt too. On the other side of the coin, Ranma and the others are about on par with the Senshi's current levels, maybe a tad below them power wise. The key is that the Senshi know how to point and shoot, Ranma can do that and break every bone in your body before you can blink. It's a power vs skill thing.

2) Ranma's education. What little we know of his schooling usually comes from flash backs where someone has been wronged by him in some way. We do know that Ranma is at the same grade level as Akane and that, while not amazing, he maintains grades of sufficient level to half-ass pass. Given his lifestyle and in-class behavior that is astonishing. So, for this, I am operating under the theory that, if he actually applied himself, Ranma could be making respectable grades. No where near perfect, but enough that he can take pride in his accomplishment. Looking at the way he learns martial arts, I think the information is floating somewhere in his mind, he just doesn't have the knowledge to take the data and transform it into anything meaningful. Hopefully that will change over time. He is not going to become a super genius who can suddenly make awesome ki tech or anything approaching that. Oh, and Setsuna backstepped and got Ranma signed up, no clue how Genma did it though. lol

3) Training the Senshi. Often, in the stories I read, Ranma starts teaching the girls and, in a few weeks, they become on par with the rest of the Nerima crazies. That is the DBZ style of learning, and we won't see that here. Ranma worked damn hard over the years to get to his current point, I will not belittle that effort by having him replicate the results with a mere fraction of the time and pain. At the most, we will see an improvement in their stamina and a miniscule rise in skill. But the Senshi are pretty much staying where they are.

Not much left to say, other than thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed it.

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People.


	5. Revalations

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Chapter 4 – Revelations

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For the fifth time in just a few minutes, Usagi Tsukino glanced at her watch. It was a blue Doraemon that her parents had bought for her when she turned ten. Though the instrument was more than a little childish for a girl her age, it worked and had a good amount of sentimental value. In the creature's wide open mouth, digital numbers clearly denoted the time. "Where is he," she muttered worriedly.

"Usagi," scolded the dark-haired Rei Hino, "watching the clock isn't going to make this guy show up any faster."

"But he should have been here by now."

"Maybe he's getting it on with his girl," offered Haruka helpfully. For which she received a swift kick in the shin courtesy of Michiru. "Damnit Michiru," she screeched loudly, "I was just sayin' what I'd be doing!"

The aqua-tressed woman scowled, "Not if you keep that up."

"You know," mused Minako as she poked a mound of orange sherbet with her spoon, "Haruka's probably right. I know they've done it at least once."

Ami blushed around the straw she was drinking through. "H,how do you know that?"

"I know love," she said simply. "And from the look in Ranma's eyes when he talked about his girlfriend they've made love once, maybe more. I can also tell that they have a real tight connection. May even be soul mates."

"Well, while its interesting to know the possible sexual practices of some guy I've never met," said Mamoru with sarcasm, "why am I here?"

"I thought Ranma would like to have a male friend," answered Usagi.

"Why the interest though? I mean, we haven't exactly been going after friends up till now.

Haruka nodded, "Yeah, why. Sure, he's nice enough, I guess. And he's got some speed, if what Ami says is true. But I don't see any real reason."

Surprisingly, it was Setsuna who answered, "Maybe because it's a nice thing to do? Or perhaps because Ranma could take out everyone in this room, save myself, without breaking a sweat? And then there is the issue of him being one of the few people on the planet with the skill to teach the lot of you how to really fight instead of just relying on the abilities of your suits?" As she spoke, her tone became increasingly hostile as her ire grew. Though none of the others knew it, they had pressed one of her few buttons, they spoke ill of her family. And while she didn't know Ranma that well personally, he was family and had gone through too much in life to be questioned by gossiping school girls and a rose-chucking pretty boy.

Everyone at the table looked at their normally dispassionate friend with the same kind of shock reserved for mass murders. The woman looked ready to lay out some serious pain. Usagi was the first to recover her voice, but, just as she was about to ask about the sudden display of anger, a sharp whistle pierced the constant buzz of the room.

The source of the whistle was none other than Matoki. Standing next to the counter in his ever-present apron, the man held a television remote. His face was mask of worry. "Everyone, quiet! Something is going on."

All eyes turned to the closest television. On the screen was a young woman in a professional looking suit and short ebony hair. To everyone in the arcade, she looked worried and unsure. In the background there was a street that looked like it had been through a war. Had there not been the words, "Live from Tokyo," scrawled across the top right corner of the screen, everyone might have thought it was indeed a war zone. "This is Kimiko Tetsuzaka of JNN channel five and the scene behind me can only be described as hell unleashed. A short while ago this battered street was the site of an epic battle between two young heroes and an oddly dressed man. What is notable is that Tokyo's famed heroines, the Sailor Senshi, were missing from the battle. In a JNN exclusive, we have footage from the epic conflict. I must warn you, the scenes are quite graphic. Parents, be advised, what you are about to see may be unsuitable for minors."

Usagi paid the warnings no heed. Instead, she looked sharply towards Ami. The girl and her computer was supposed to tell them when such attacks occurred. No such warning had been given, yet there had been a battle of sufficient size to warrant a news broadcast. To her horror though, it was quite clear that her blue-haired friend was just as surprised as she was. Such information was troubling on many levels, the least of which was that they may no longer have the ability to quickly deal with threats. Any further concerns were spirited away by Makoto's shocked gasp. In an instance, Usagi's head whipped back towards the tv.

On the cold, merciless, screen was the clear image of Ranma Alexander. By that point in the video, the pig-tailed young man was pushed back to defending a small alcove. On the ground there was an ever-widening pool of crimson and one could just make out the huddled form of a young woman behind him. With a sick fascination, everyone in the arcade watched as the dark forms beat the gallant defender mercilessly. Some, cheered Ranma on as he scored a blow. But their encouragement was only half-hearted, as everyone in the room, unspecialized spectators all, knew that what they were watching wasn't some hero about to save the day, it was an execution. The death blow was landed soon enough, and it was accompanied by shocked gasps and even some retching.

Though no one was left unaffected by the grisly imagery, the Senshi were especially devastated. There was someone that they had just befriended, and now they watched him get slaughtered by monsters they should have faced. Each of the young women, including Haruka, wept bitter tears at the sight of Ranma's companion holding his mutilated corpse. Never had any of them paid witness to such carnage. Only the final battle with Beryl's forces could even come close to the scale of horror, and their memories of those events were sketchy at best. Mamoru even went so far as to wrap his arms around his beloved. Both to take solace in her presence and to shield the young woman's innocence from the nightmarish imagery.

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Across the country, people watched the news broadcast with the same horrid emotions as the teens in the Crown Arcade.

In Ucchan's Okonomyaki, the proprietor, Ukyo Kounji, stood frozen in place, her eyes glued to the television. The room still echoed with the clattering of her spatula against the linoleum floor. On the griddle, one of her signature dishes slowly burned, unnoticed by both host and customer.

When she had first heard that Ranma was gone, Ukyo had been furious. The brown-haired girl had ranted and raved, and cried out for blood. Konatsu had been forced to duck beneath a table as his superior vented her frustration upon the surroundings. Around her tears, the young woman described, in vivid detail, how she would dispatch her wayward fiancé should he ever show his miserable hide.

That anger no longer existed though. The tortures she had planned for Ranma were a distant memory. Seeing his anguish was more than enough to satiate her blood lust. Now, all she desired was to undo the terrible imagery unfolding before her.

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Tears flowed in the quiet Nekohanten. The normally proud and bubbly Amazon Shampoo was doubled over in grief. Her purple tresses were buried in the shoulder of her great grandmother, Cologne, as she cried her soul out. Where Ukyo had lost a fiancé, she saw the death of her beloved husband. And like all first loves found, then lost, Shampoo could not imagine loving any other. She couldn't even conjure up the emotion to hate Kasumi. Though the nice girl took Ranma, his death made them sisters in sorrow.

Even Cologne felt the bitter sting of hot tears. Over the course of her three hundred plus years she had seen many a brilliant light fade into the darkness everlasting; and she was sure she would see yet more pass before she joined them. Her son-in-law had been one of brightest she had ever encountered. On more than one occasion she had shook her head as he ran headlong into the very face of death, laughing gaily all the way. Yet, no matter the danger, no large the challenge, Ranma had always won in the end. His was a light that seemed almost eternal. And, true to form, it took a veritable army to take him down. But he had done so defending an innocent and the woman he loved, Cologne knew of no more honorable a death.

Why was it that that thought did nothing to comfort her?

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Standing in the Tendo living room, Genma Saotome watched his son's performance with grim satisfaction. Even as the sobbing of the girls and Soun filled his ears, the portly martial artist couldn't help but smile. Though Ranma fought a loosing battle, the boy gave it his all; just like he taught him. Yet, how much of that bravery had been the product of their training? Genma could admit to himself that he had been a less than stellar father. Why, the entire ten year long trip had been one blunder after another. But despite all the wrongs he had committed, the boy had turned out grand. Ranma had even done something that he had never been able to, confront Happosai and win.

Most people thought him an uncaring oaf. And while the oaf part was more than slightly true, Genma did care about his son. Hell, he loved the kid. Despite all the using and abusing, Ranma was his son and only a monster could raise a kid that long and not love him. The agreement with Tendo had been a result of that love. Sure, people were right in asserting that all the engagements had been stupid attempts to feed his belly, all, that is, except the one he made with Soun. Ol' Tendo had been an amazing friend and Masaki was a wild, yet caring woman. Between the two of them, Genma been sure that they would raise a wonderful daughter for his son to marry.

All that meant little now. Ranma was dead, but what a death. His son had painted a blazing sign in the heavens. And thanks to modern television, it would be one that wouldn't be readily forgotten.

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In a world where steal and plastic have trumped the warmth of another; where heroes are frowned upon in favor of the 'enlightened' normality of mediocrity; where truth and justice are merely slogans which corrupt men place on placards to assuage the apathetic populace; and where the weak are trodden upon by the barons of inequity; a spark of righteousness began to burn in the hearts of the Japanese. Before their eyes, a new hero was born. Even as the unknown young man consecrated a Tokyo street with his blood, the people began to immortalize him in their mind's eye. It didn't matter what his story was, on the screen he glorified truth, honor, love, and self sacrifice. Though they did not know it, the people had been anesthetized by modernity, but that man pulled them from their prosaic world. With renewed eyes, a nation looked at itself and the world around them and found itself outraged.

Change would come. A whole people saw the makings of a better world. And all it took was the death of one man.

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The tape did not end with death though. And, with a triumphant cry, all of Japan heralded the rebirth of a hero.

000000000

Even as the jubilant cry deafened her, Usagi felt her own voice joining in the joyous chorus. With a soaring heart, she watched as Ranma emerged from the fires of his own cremation. Through even the television she could feel his power like it was a physical presence. And his girlfriend was beauty incarnate. Between the pair, a wondrous display unfolded on the television. Despite her own battles against the darkness, Usagi had never seen such a beautifully powerful confrontation. Fire and light danced across the illuminated glass with more grace and awe than the greatest of films.

Though the second act was actually longer than the first, in the powerful surge of jubilation it seemed to finish before it began. As the tape finished, the scene was replaced by Kimiko Tetsuzaka's tear stained face. "W,well," she started with a voice thick with emotion, "there you have it. That battle occurred here just a short while ago. And now we are left with more questions than answers. Who is this brave hero and his radiant princess? Where do they come from? What is this new threat to our nation? And where were Tokyo's defenders, the Sailor Senshi? I don't have any answers to these questions. But I do know this, I'll be going to sleep tonight a lot easier knowing that these brave people are out there, keeping us safe. This has been Kimiko Tetsuzaka, JNN Channel Five news."

While others were clapping and whistling, and hooting in glee, the teens at one table looked positively morose. Each looked to their friends and hoped to see some sign of hope on their face. But there was none. On national television they had been humiliated in a most graphic manner. What was almost worse than the humiliation was the fact that the reporter had been right. When a battle occurred, and lives were on the line, they were in an arcade gabbing over ice cream and soda. Sure they were only human, they had slipped up in the past, destroyed a car when they were aiming for a living Wurlitzer, but the defenders of love and justice did not let people die on their watch; until now.

Like all humans, the pain of their failure soon began to turn to anger and recrimination. Eyes, alight with fire and a desire to lay blame somewhere, turned to Ami.

"_She should have known_," thought Rei heatedly.

"_Ami's little computer can detect anything_," groused Haruka.

"Why didn't you tell us about this," asked Michiru coolly.

The blue-haired young woman looked from one acquisitory glare to another. She knew why they were angry, but knowledge did not banish the helplessness she felt. "I,I'm sorry. N,n,nothing showed up on the computer."

Usagi reached out a placed a hand on her friend's shaking shoulder. "Hey now," she scolded the others angrily. "You leave Ami alone. If she says it didn't see anything, then it didn't and there is nothing we can do about it. Okay?" Though she said it calmly, it was clear that Usagi was issuing an order to her Senshi.

When the others calmed down, and began to look abashed, Usagi smiled and nodded. "Now Setsuna, maybe you can . . . ." She came to a stop because the enigmatic elder Senshi was gone, all that was in her place was the drink she had been nursing before the video and a napkin with some writing on it. With the same speed and precision she used to hurl her tiara, the pig-tailed young woman lashed out and grabbed the note before any other could get their hands on it.

A quick perusing of the note detailed all the pertinent information. "Okay guys, we need to head to the address on this. Ami, can you lead us there?"

Happy to have an opportunity to help rather than to look the fool, Ami readily took the folded piece of paper and entered the address into her computer. In a few seconds, a map appeared on her screen complete with directions. "I sure can Usagi."

"Great! Then let's go."

Makoto reached out and grabbed her friend's arm. "Um, Usagi, did the note say how we should show up?"

"Yeah, just like we are now."

As the girls and guy followed Usagi out of the building, they mused at the actions of their mysterious comrade. That she would just up and vanish was no surprise to any of them, the woman had done it more times than they could count. What was odd was the order to be at a particular locale yet not be ready for a fight. Still, with the way they were felling, a fight was the last thing they wanted, so they welcomed a chance for some fresh air and exercise.

And if battle was their destination, then Heaven help whoever dared be so foolish as to attack innocents on that day.

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In the realm of the Time Gates, the smell of sulfur hung in the air like a thick blanket. A great many explosions had ripped through the area. Even the gates themselves displayed evidence of multiple detonations. Its once gleaming surface was marred by dark patches of soot as some great force ignited the very atoms around it. Though the gates were indestructible, the stains stood as sharp, silent, evidence of one woman's frustration. Eventually, the stains would either age or youthen away into nothingness, but for now they were a source of satisfaction to one woman.

Setsuna Meio, soon to be Alexander, was crumpled upon the ground; the Time Key in her hands barely held her up at all. When the video had shown Ranma's death blow, her's had been among the loudest of cries. An instant later she was at the Time Gate. Frantically, she used the mechanism to run through the past, present, and future events surrounding Ranma and the terrible fate which had befallen him. Up until the attacker had arrived, the gate provided its usual crystal clarity, then things began getting hazy; literally. A graininess permeated the images, one that only increased in intensity until, by the time Ranma died there was nothing but gray static. The only reason she was able to see anything in the area was that the gate was capable of tapping into television channels and she watched the events unfold via the news broadcasts.

The static was troubling. As far as anyone knew, there was nothing that could impede the gate's sight. Yet, somehow the greater part of the battle was no where to be found. Of course, Setsuna could never know that the gate was, in actuality, a creation of the Gods, and had a greater purpose than spying on the actions of the constellations. All she knew was that the artifact she had staked her career on was now being incredibly stubborn. In an uncharacteristic display of rage, the Senshi of Pluto unloaded several loudly worded Dead Screams into the recalcitrant mechanism. Though they did no damage, it made a world of difference to her mental state.

Since the present was giving her a headache, Setsuna turned to the past and the future. On several occasions in Ranma's past, ones that she had just skipped over as inconsequential, she found indications of the same static. None of these instances showed anything else out of the ordinary, but there were a clear indication of pattern in relation to the new Alexander. The future though, was greatly different, yet oddly the same. There was no static, the tall spires of Crystal Tokyo still dominated the skyline with their warm glow. Life went about as it had every time she had seen into that distant moment. Yet, there was also no Rama, no Kasumi. The Alexanders existed, and herself was still married to Justin. Not even a grave marker existed for the pair, hell even the records, so damaged by the cataclysm that was the prelude for the grandeur of Crystal Tokyo, lacked their presence. It was as if she was looking at the future that had existed before she met the pair.

"That should not be possible though," she muttered almost plaintively. While Crystal Tokyo had been the the predominant timeline since the fifteenth century, aspects of that future had always been in a state of flux. Roads would appear in the gates one week, only to vanish without a trace the next. The almost endless variation of free will played out on destiny.

Now though, destiny was in question. Between the static clouding her vision of the present and past, and the static nature of the future, the Time Gates had become nothing more than a very elaborate television/time machine. And the time machine part was a tad problematic as well, seeing as she could only go where there was none of that static. So, with nothing else she could do at the gates, Setsuna decided to turn to the one other source of comfort she had these days. Using the gate's mechanism, she backstepped to the point just after she left the arcade and teleported herself to the Alexander compound.

000000000

The home of the Alexander clan was, at the best of times, a teeming cauldron of joyous chaos. One this day though, as the news reports flooded in, chaos ruled and joy found little hold. A few minutes before the broadcast, the new couple to their home had come running in, only the meagerest of apologies were cast towards those they bowled over in transit. Yori and Justin looked up the stairs at the retreating forms of their relatives and wondered where the fire was. A slammed door only enhanced their curiosity. So it was that, they, and a few others, crept up the stairs after the youngsters. As the throng of people neared the bedroom, it became quite apparent what the couple was up to. Even through the thicker than average walls could be heard the sounds of unrestrained lovemaking. The Alexander home was no stranger to the wails of passion joined, but there were still blushes and mumbled words of embarrassment as the miniature mob moved away from the occupied room like it was radioactive.

Downstairs, the conversation soon turned to speculation as to the reason for such an impromptu lovemaking session. Tami was quite loud in her negative opinion of such activities, though since she always made such rants against inter-gender relations, most just ignored her. Several of the younger men, Kai in particular, wondered what Kasumi looked like right now, and quietly applauded their relative for bagging such a babe. Though the children snickered at the thought of sex, the adults cast the occasional worried glance up at the young lover's room. They had seen the blind panic on the couple's faces. The pair had moved through the house desperately, and not out of the desperation for carnal passion. Something had happened, something big, and it had rattled them so badly that they needed to seek solace in the other's flesh.

Their reasons did not need to be pondered for long. Soon, one of the staff came running in t the family room, his face a mask of worry. "Quick, turn on the television!" Like their fellow Japanese, the Alexanders watched in horror, yet were transfixed. Unlike the others though, they had read the end of the book. All they had to do was watch that ending unfold in dreadful detail.

It was about half-way into the opening act that Setsuna came rushing into the room. Like a missile, she sought out her beloved Justin and clung to him desperately; her tears adding to the ever widening pool of sorrow. Though she was infinity older than the young man who held her, Setsuna was comforted by his soft words of love and assurance. Right now she was not the immortal Sailor Pluto, a warrior who had watched mighty empires fall into legend, she was just a young woman whose entire world was this house.

The whole family remained in silence, even as the report died away. Lovers and siblings held one another, each acting as an anchor for the others. After a long while, the silence was intruded upon by the sound of the doorbell. Reluctantly, Setsuna extricated herself from the arms of her lover. "I'll get it everyone."

Looking up from Yori with troubled eyes, Joseph asked, "Are you sure?"

"It's no problem. I think its for me anyway." That was enough for the patriarch, as he turned back to his beloved. For a moment, Setsuna did the same and was nearly lost again in her Joseph's eyes. "Y,you stay here. Okay?"

"I'll keep the lap warm," he whispered before gently kissing her lips.

Even with the heavy emotion pressing down upon the room, Setsuna couldn't help but giggle at his promise. "Just don't scare the family," she whispered before standing and walking towards the front door. As she passed a mirror, Setsuna caught sight of her reflection. Honestly, she didn't look that good, her eyes were bloodshot from all the crying and her hair was a mess. For a moment, she thought about fixing all that, to maintain the facade of Pluto. But she was home and her family was just a few feet away and changing seemed like a denouncement of them. So, it was a proudly disheveled Setsuna who opened the door on her Senshi comrades.

As the girls looked at their enigmatic friend, they could not help but be shocked and filled with dread. Setsuna looked like she had been through a war, and for the normally well-kempt woman to appear as such, it must mean that something horrible was going on. As the leader, Usagi stepped forward and laid a concerned hand on the elder woman's arm. "Everything okay Setsuna?"

"Yeah," added Haruka,"you look like hell."

"I've felt better," admitted Setsuna truthfully. "The Time Gates are acting oddly and I have no clue why. Plus this whole Ranma situation has me severely out of sorts." It was an honest and open reply, probably the first she had ever given her teammates. The future was no longer certain, and since the path was not clear, she did not have to play the part of all-knowing guide any longer.

Usagi cast a worried look at her friends and saw shock and confusion on their faces. Setsuna had always been their steadfast rock, now she was coming unglued before their eyes. None of them even realized that the woman that they were seeing now was the real one and the Pluto they had known was nothing more than a facade. Still, she was a teammate and friend, and they would do their best to help the woman in her time of crisis. "Don't worry," assured Usagi softly. "I'm sure everything is going to be fine."

"Yeah," added Minako. "You know what they say, its always darkest before Arbor Day."

Setsuna giggled at the latest of Minako's vocabulary mangles; something that garnered her further looks of dismay. "You're right Minako."

"Um Setsuna," asked Ami hesitantly. "Why did you want us to come here?"

"Oh, this is Ranma's home," answered Setsuna with an almost flippant air. "If the worst happened, I thought you would want to meet his family. And if it didn't, I knew that, sooner or later, you all would be making a visit."

"Is Ranma okay," Makoto asked, her face a mask of worry.

Setsuna shrugged. "Who can say. I mean right now he is safe and upstairs. But you don't come that close of death and walk away wholly unchanged by the experience."

The girls nodded knowingly. Unlike many in their age group, they had death on a first name basis and though they tried to act as if it hadn't affected them much, there were still the occasional nightmares. Still, it is harder to see the necessity of having the perfect outfit after coming back from the dead. Of them all, Minako was the most familiar with the duality they all faced; having been a superhero on two continents. Before her eyes, albeit time delayed, that stud of a man Ranma had gone from just a normal guy to a hero in his own right. She knew, with some pain, that such transformations do not readily occur in the mind once the panic and rush of battle have subsided. Stepping forward, her face filled with understanding and compassion, she asked, "Anything we can do to help?"

"If you want, you can come in and talk with the family. They don't know about us, but they are surprisingly knowledgeable. And if you want to keep our secret then be damn careful about what you say, unlike others, they can put two and two together and get four." With that she turned and gestured for them to enter.

Without hesitation, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru stepped up and past their roommate. Here was a human Setsuna and the woman looked like she needed all the support she could get. And damn them if they didn't offer it. "We're here for ya," said Haruka firmly.

A large smile appeared on the green-tressed woman's face. "Thanks." Still in home mode, Setsuna followed through wit the sudden impulse to reach out and embrace her friend. The other woman stiffened in her arms for a moment before returning the gesture in kind. After a comfortable moment filled with the type of silence that can overflow entire volumes, both woman pulled away from the other; safe in the knowledge that their friendship had just become far firmer than it had been before.

As Haruka and the rest of her other family disappeared into the Alexander home, Setsuna turned to those girls who remained on the front step. "Well, are any of you going to join us?"

Ami was the first to respond. Shaking her head sadly, she said, "Sorry. I would love to, but with that video circulating, my mother is surely worried about my safety. You know how she can get when teens are endangered."

Rei nodded. "Yeah, I should go too. Who knows what trouble Granpa and Yuichiro are getting themselves into."

While the two others were moving away towards their homes, Makoto walked towards the door. "I don't have to be home until I want to."

Minako followed her teammate inside. "And I'm staying with her while my parents are away on business."

As the last of the Senshi who remained outside, Usagi just shrugged. "Well, if I can make a phone call, I think everything will be fine."

"I'm sure that they won't mind you using one to call your parents," assured Setsuna.

"Great," smiled Usagi. "Then I'm coming too."

With the last of the girls off the front yard, the elder Senshi closed the door and walked to the head of the group. From the other end of hall, Yori emerged and looked distressed. "What's the matter?"

"Nodoka's called. Apparently she saw the report too." Yori's every word was dripping with concern for her daughter.

Setsuna paled, "Damn. One of us should have called her sooner."

"You're right," nodded Yori sadly. "But we were all too tied up in our own pain to remember her."

"Well, you go talk to her. We can save the introductions for later."

For the first time Yori actually noticed the presence of the other women in the hall. Upon the recognition, she gasped in shock and embarrassment. "Oh I am so sorry."

Usagi smiled as she bowed. "Please, don't worry about it. Go and talk to her."

Yori returned the bow before running off towards the phone.

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Nodoka Saotome sat beside her phone with the same poise as a kid with a.d.d who is high on pixey sticks. Since reuniting with Ranma, she had listened to many a wild tale about her son's adventures. On several occasions, she had even lived through them herself. Never though did she expect to see one unfold in such horrid detail as the one she just watched on the television. In wide-eyed horror she just sat there as her son, the young man who, but a few days ago, asked for release, was viciously torn apart by terrors beyond the capacity for rational understanding. Even when the footage had ceased, she still sat there, her body incapable of independent movement.

After a few moments though, some random thought broke through the haze and forced the Saotome woman to rise. Once her body had gained the smallest shred of momentum, it refused to stop. Like a bolt of lightning, Nodoka surged through her home at a fantastic speed. End tables were knocked over, lamps shattered upon the wood floor, all so that she could reach her phone a few nanoseconds sooner. Upon reaching the mass of plastic and wires though, she found the machine quite recalcitrant in its operations. The blasted thing had required four repeated dialings before it would properly connect to her mother's home, and, by then, multiple cracks had appeared in the tan plastic.

When one of her mother's servants had finally answered the phone, Nodoka had practically ordered the man to produce her mother. The harried man quickly assured her that he would produce Yori post haste; once again leaving her alone with her fears and the cat. Next to the communications device sat a small, cat-shaped, clock. A relic from better days, when her family had been whole, the timepiece silently counted the minutes since the servant left her on hold. Left and right did the eyes move and, with each movement, the entirety of time seemed to stretch out before Nodoka.

Finally, the voice of her mother echoed from he earpiece. "Nodoka? Hello?"

"Mother! I saw the news, is Ranma well? Is he home? Can I talk to him? What about poor Kasumi? Gods! That was so sad. Well? Why aren't you answering me," she demanded with a gasp, having finally burned through a lungful of air.

Yori's smirk could be heard through the receiver. "I would have if I could've gotten a word in. But to answer your questions, both Ranma and Kasumi are home and in one piece. Neither are available to talk to though."

Nodoka sent a hateful glare towards the phone and, by proxy, her mother. "Why on Earth can't I? I'm his mother, I have the right to talk to him!"

"I doubt they would appreciate an interruption at this time. Both appeared quite determined as they ran upstairs."

Soon enough, Nodoka realized what her mother was getting at. In an instant, the panic and anger drained from her face and was replaced by manic grin. "He's being manly?!"

"Uh . . . you could call it that."

If her mother said anything else, Nodoka didn't hear it. No, instead she was dancing merrily through the halls of her home. Grandchildren were something that she had longed for for many a year, now it looked like that dream was a distinct possibility. Along her dancing path, she pulled a pair of samurai fans from their place on the wall. These were gleefully incorporated into her joyous escapade. Meanwhile, the only witness to Nodoka's revelry was the phone which hung silently by its cord.

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It was an exasperated Yori who strolled into the living room of the Alexander home. Even as her wonderful husband stood to meet her, the Alexander matriarch looked across the assembled group. The girls Setsuna had brought in were conversing between themselves and the family. While she was a mess of emotions, Yori could not help but smile with pride at the family she and Joseph had created. Already the girls did not look like strangers, they were just the most recent additions to their clan. That was the Alexander way, anyone, be they teenage girls or city inspectors, were immediately included as if they had always been there. Yori thought bitterly of how her old clan, the Saotomes, were so cold and unfeeling, even to one another. Joseph though, had been adamant that there was another, better way to living with others and, like so often he was right.

As Joseph neared, his was the face of concern. The waves of emotions playing across his wife's form worried him. How had Nodoka taken the news of her son's demise and resurrection? Would she too show up on their front porch seeking asylum from those she had left the family for? Just thinking of his wayward child sent waves of confusion rippling across his soul. With her departure, Nodoka had betrayed them all greatly. Yet, she was still his daughter, and the part of him that was her father screamed to him to let her back without reservation. Luckily, his worry for Yori gave the Alexander patriarch the strength of will to compartmentalize all that in favor of her. "Did it go well," he asked as he pulled his beloved wife close.

Yori nodded as she enjoyed her husband's warmth. "She was upset at first, but when I told her about Ranma and Kasumi she started singing about his manliness." With a tiny glare, she looked up at Joseph's face. "You just had to read all those Conan books to her, didn't you."

Now it was Joseph's turn to look exasperated. "Hey, how was I supposed to know that they would do that to her?"

A giggle was Yori's response as she buried herself deeper into his embrace. "I'm just glad our family is safe."

"So am I."

"So, who are those girls Setsuna brought in?"

"Friends of Ranma's and students from Setsuna's school."

There was something in her husband's tone that told Yori the man was withholding a piece of information, but she didn't press the issue. "Okay. Do you think they will fit in well with us?"

On this, Joseph hesitated even more. "They are gelling well right now. But I can't tell what the future will bring."

Yori was visibly stunned. Usually, Joseph was so certain about people, even if had just met them. This hesitance was so unlike him that she decided to break her prior vow to remain silent. "Why? Have they done something wrong?"

"I don't know yet." He cast a quick glance to where Setsuna was sitting with Justin and Haruka and Michiru. "But I intend to find out."

Before his wife could inquire as to his meaning, the Alexander patriarch turned fully towards the gathering. "Ladies! May I present my wife, Yori Alexander."

Before she turned a bright smile towards the girls, Yori speared her husband with a look that promised a resumption of their conversation. "Welcome to our home. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

"Why don't you get acquainted," he offered as he gently pushed his wife of many years towards the mob. "Meanwhile, Setsuna and I can discuss a few things."

Though his voice was as jovial as ever, Setsuna could not shake a feeling of dread which swept through. Still, it could be nothing. So, with a peck and a squeeze, she stood from beside her fiancé and headed towards her future in-law.

Walking in silence, the pair navigated their way through the house until they arrived at Joseph's study. As she stood before the man's wide desk, Setsuna marveled at her nervousness. She, who had seen nations fall, who had lived longer than modern history, was worried about what a man the tiniest fraction of her true age may say. The woman did not have to wait long, for as soon as the door slid shut, Joseph was upon her.

"Why are they here Setsuna? And why was Ranma caught up in Senshi business?"

Though she knew she shouldn't be, Setsuna was surprised that he had realized who they were. Her first instinct was to deny everything. The Senshi's secret was too big to just blab to the first person who asked a direct question. In this case however, she ignored instinct in favor of family. "First, how did you know?"

Joseph snorted gruffly. "Please, you may be ancient, but you have almost no mental shielding. Between that, and your own need for family, you practically forced your whole life on me the first time we met."

Setsuna blushed and looked like the toddler in the cookie jar. "I had no idea."

"No, I suppose you didn't. I said nothing then because it wasn't my place to pry. You only wanted what we offered freely But now, your world has intruded upon ours and I would know why."

"First, you must understand, I love Justin with all my heart, and I would NEVER try to harm any of you. That includes Ranma. As you probably know, I have means by which I can see time."

"The Gates."

"Yes. When I met Justin I vowed not to use them to learn about you all. But Ranma changed things."

"That seems to be common with him."

Setsuna chuckled at that, "You have no idea."

"So why was he different?"

"I had sensed that there was more to his story than what he old us, and given the other's reactions to the unusual, I needed to know everything to properly warn them. Otherwise, the first roof-hop or splash and they'll start shooting. I swear to you, when I looked at him I didn't see any of this. In fact, a far as the Gates are concerned, time is proceeding as if Ranma never entered our lives."

"And there was no way to go back and save him?"

"No," she moaned pitifully. "The same force that blocks my sight makes it impossible for me to even teleport near him. I was only able to appear here because the static died down enough." By the time she finished, tears were rolling down her cheeks in great waves. Not since The Fall had she felt so completely helpless.

As a sigh escaped from Joseph's lips as he watched the "young" woman sob uncontrollably. He hated to do that to her, but he needed to know. With not a trace of reluctance, he crossed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. "There, there," he muttered as he gently rubbed her back. "No more tears. I believe you when you say you did all you could." Setsuna's tears only increased as sorrow was replaced by relief. Joseph let those tears flow, feeling that they had been withheld for far too long. Finally though, he asked, "Would you like some advice?"

Setsuna looked up at the elder Alexander hopefully, "Oh please yes!"

"Tell Ranma and Kasumi about you all. Maybe even tell the family."

"Why?" She knew the wisdom of telling the couple, but telling the family was confusing to her.

"I look at you and the others and I see so much pain. Its not right to let people so young carry such a burden all by yourselves."

"I'm not exactly the youngest person ever," quipped Setsuna.

"Aren't you though? I mean, which is the true Setsuna? The cold, dispassionate, guardian, ensuring the safe flow of time? Or is she the young woman who appeared hand-in-hand with Justin, who, with an evil grin, sprayed shaving foam in Kai's hand while he slept? Because I think she is the later, and the former is simply the mask she wears to hide from the world."

"You're probably right," she said with a sigh. "And that bit with Kai was all Tami's idea," giggled Setsuna.

A big grin cracked its way across his face. "That's funny, the way Tami tells it, you planned the whole thing."

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As consciousness slowly returned to her, Kasumi could not help but smile. Her's was not the almost fairy tale smile she normally greeted the day with, no this was more the satisfied of expression of a woman who had long ate from the tree of ecstasy and found it to her liking. With a happy sigh, she slowly opened her eyes onto the light of the new day. But instead of the rising Sun, distantly warming the Earth as it had since time immorial, the light of a trillion stars hung out across the sky like a nearly infinite string of Christmas tree lights. Instantly, her warm feelings were smothered by business. Reaching out, she gently shook Ranma, while only half-noticing that they were in their armored forms. "Ranma," she said softly, "you need to get up. Phoenix and Cygnus are coming."

Despite the rigorous exercise and little sleep of the prior night, Ranma's eyes slammed open. Like his love, he saw the infinite expanse of space and remembered. Making sure to check for some clothing for himself and his lover, Ranma slowly sat up. "Everything ok," though he knew on one level that nothing could harm them here, Kasumi's urgent tone still worried him.

_**"All is well Ranma,"**_ echoed the voice of Cygnus.

This time, it was Phoenix who spoke. _**"Indeed. You both should be commended on a battle well fought. It is good to have Alpha Centauri with us once more."**_

"So he made it back safely," asked Kasumi. Though she still felt hatred towards the darkness that had possessed him, the Tendo daughter could not feel the same about the cheerful man Centauri had become.

_**"Oh yes. And he wanted you to know that he still regrets what he did."**_

"He couldn't control himself. We can't hold him accountable for that." Despite those words, Kasumi felt a flash of anger flow from Ranma. With a sigh, she thought, _"I guess I'll have to work on him."_

"So, what's up?"

_**"Well, we wished to thank you, even if the situation left you little choice in the matter,"**_ replied Phoenix. _**"Also, there are several issues we must discuss."**_

"Here it comes," mumbled Ranma with resignation.

If Phoenix heard that, he gave no indication. _**"Now that you have accepted our offer, we have sent the other avatars to converge on your position. They are all people you have had interactions with in the past."**_

"Great," groaned Ranma, "knowing my luck, pig-boy'll be__one of them."

_**"Ryoga Hibiki is far too unpredictable for this fight. Do not fear, they are some of the more level headed of your prior associates. And, they have been made aware as to your status as leader."**_

"Why me?"

_**"As my avatar, it was agreed that you should lead. You do have the most experience in the area."**_

"Great."

_**"There is . . . another matter we need to talk about too,"**_ stated Cygnus reluctantly.

"What's wrong," asked Kasumi worriedly.

_**"Yesterday, your battle was watched by your entire nation."**_

"WHAT," screeched Ranma. "How?"

_**"I m sorry, but apparently there were cameras in the area. The local news caught it and now everyone knows about it."**_

"Great! Now every crazy is gonna ta know where I'm at."

_**"Well, it is not as bad,"**_ assured Cygnus._** "As we have told you, we inspire you humans. We exercised that power to suggest to people that who they saw was not you. Other than your family, friends, and the Senshi, no one realizes it was you two. They only will when you want them to. This applies to any future activities as well."**_

"So, even if we transform in front'v people, they won't realize it," asked Ranma.

_**"Correct,"**_ replied Phoenix. _**"Think of it like that Kuno boy. People will simply not accept that you and your armored state are the same person."**_

"That should make our lives easier," commented Kasumi. "Thank you."

Both birds bowed their heads, _**"It was the least we could do to honor the pain you both endured."**_

_**"Indeed,"**_ said Phoenix. _**"But we must leave you for now. It will be day soon, and I imagine yours will be a long one."**_ From the bird's eyes, a brilliant flash of light strobed out; washing out all the color and rendering everything a bright white.

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With a groan, Kasumi raised an arm to block the light piercing her retinas. The attempt worked and she desperately searched for the offending source. As her eyes ratcheted over to said instigator, a deep crimson spread across her entire body. The light was reflecting off of the metal side of one of the thermoses perched on the end table. Rather pornographic imagery floated through her consciousness after thinking about the part they played in last night's activities.

Passionate would not have been strong enough adjective to describe their love making. After everything they had gone through they had been desperate for each other. That desire was only made more potent by the feelings streaming in from Ranma. So, by the time they made it to their room, both she and her beloved were ripping off the other's clothes in an effort to get that much closer. And oh how closer they got. Between her technical knowledge from countless books and a potent combination of his boundless stamina and an almost infinite capacity for improvisation, there few things they had not attempted in their pursuit of oneness.

Even Ranko put in a few appearances when biology dictated that Ranma's male half was no longer "up" to the task. Thanks to the link, those moments, where their naked feminine bodies were pressed together in wondrous coitus, were almost divine. Ranma seemed to enjoy those moments too, and, when he turned back, he had been so forceful, as if he had been trying to prove his manhood.

Speaking of manhood, Ranma's was once again rising to the occasion. "_Probably because I was thinking about it,"_ she thought as she ran a hand across its length.

A tired groan issued forth from Ranma's mouth. "Ah God, I knew it. Yer tryin' to kill me," he half groaned, half moaned. Despite his dire pronouncement, as Ranma opened his eyes, he smiled.

So too did Kasumi, though her's was more calculating. The kind of expression one may expect to find on Nabiki's face as an opportunity for money presented itself. "Some may say," she remarked sensuously as she slid across her love's body to take up a more favorable position, "that a little death or two is what makes life worth living." She followed that with an extensive argument that, in the end, Ranma couldn't disagree with.

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A while later, Ranma found himself resting comfortably in the warm waters of the Alexander furo. Sitting calmly on him was Kasumi. Though it was entirely non-sexual, a part of him found the closeness more emotionally rewarding than their activities the night before. Such a feeling, the simple love and understanding shared by two people, was everything that he had always wanted from others, yet his father and fiancés had demanded more and less from him. If asked, Ranma would probably state, unequivocally, that he had found paradise and was unwilling to leave. But, like all good paradises, his had a snake. In the back of his mind the Alexander male replayed the events of last night over and over, not the sex, though that was nice, no, he was examining the needs and desires that had run concurrently to the passion and love.

They had been intense. _"Nah,"_ thought Ranma, _"that ain't a big enough word. Hell, I haven't wanted something so badly since I was in the damn pit."_ Just the thought of the dread place sent shivers down his spine. The comparison was appropriate though. He had wanted Kasumi so bad that, upon reflection, he doubted that he could have stopped himself should she have had said no. Suddenly, the image of such an event unfolded in his mind. In his mind's eye, Ranma could see his heart's delight sprawled out on their bed. She looked up at him, but instead of love or desire, all he could see was fright. Her terrified screams filled his ears like the tormented wail of a million damed souls. Even as he took from her everything his animalistic rutting wanted, he could see the tears of her pitiful sobbing.

The sight was a terrible one, and it was all Ranma could do to prevent himself from retching upon Kasumi's silken hair. Still, that self control did little to abate his own tears that such imagery conjured within him.

For a long while, Kasumi had rested comfortably upon her love's lap, content to simply enjoy the warmth that she had been denied for a lifetime. Through their link, she shared in the warmth of Ranma and it only enhanced the experience. Eventually, that warmth grew distant, and eventually cold. She tried to divine the reasons for such feelings via the link, but Ranma was blocking her at every opportunity. Deciding that the old ways were still the best, Kasumi turned in her beloved's arms to look him dead in the face. What she saw made her gasp. Ranma, the unflappable man who had captured her heart with a smile and a wink, was crying silent tears. "RANMA! What's wrong?!"

"I, I think I'm turnin' inta a pervert. Maybe ya should get away from me before I do somthin' we both are gonna regret."

"Like what? Ranma, you are no pervert."

"But last night . . . . I couldn't stop myself . . . . so scared," he babbled incoherently as his imagination ran amok.

For an instant, the walls came down and Kasumi was able to see what terrified her love so, at first, it made her stomach turn, but in the end she settled on letting her heart break to see him so distraught over something she had so enjoyed. "Ranma. Listen, you are not a pervert, and neither am I. Yes, last night was intense, but it was like that for both of us. As much as you wanted it so did I. In fact, I am greatful for the amount of control you showed, because I don't know how long I would have been able to hold myself back. As it was," she said with a grin and a full body blush, "the whole way back I couldn't keep my hands off of you."

Though the fear was still there, Ranma couldn't help but smile at one particular incident. "Yeah, ya damn near killed us when ya grabbed me down there."

Kasumi giggled and nodded. "Yes, I did didn't I. So you see, if anyone in this relationship has to worry about being a pervert its me. And, since the only person on this planet I would want to do any of that stuff to is you, I think you won't mind me being a tad perverted. Now, I don't want you thinking about this any more, okay. If I even think you are, I may have to start malleting you like Akane." To prove her point, Kasumi pulled out a rolling pin from that secret place all Tendo women had.

"Okay, okay," laughed Ranma. "I'll stop, just don't start bein' like her. Next thing ya know ya'll start cooking like her too." The mere thought of such an event caused him to shiver with fright.

It effected Kasumi in a similar fashion. "I wouldn't even joke about that Ranma. It could be like father and saying his master's name too much."

After that, the two teens couldn't stop laughing for a good long while.

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Eventually, the pair worked their way downstairs and headed towards the dining room. Smiles abounded between Ranma and Kasumi as they rounded the corner. Those smiles froze solid as all sounds stopped and all eyes turned to them. "Um, everything okay," asked Ranma slowly. In his experience such tableaus were not a good thing.

Joseph raised an eyebrow, "I think we should be asking you two that. We saw what happened on the news. How are you holding up?"

The couple looked at each other and smiled. "We're good," they said together.

"Good," asked Tami sarcastically. "Ranma was shot to hell and back and you're good?"

Yori shot her grandchild an angry look, "Tamiko Alexander! What have I told you about such language young lady?!"

Tami looked down at the table liked a wounded puppy. "That its not nice for a little girl and every time I say them I havta wash my mouth out."

"Right. Now go and do that," replied the elder woman resolutely.

"Yes m'am." Looking like she was about to go to her own funeral, Tami stood up from the table and shuffled slowly out of the room.

In the awkward silence that accompanied the exchange, Ranma and Kasumi used the opportunity to make their way over to their chairs at the table. Even before he had gotten himself firmly seated, Ranma felt a pair of arms try to fully encircle him. As he looked over to the source of the embrace, he saw Monica's tear-filled eyes looking back up at him. "Hey now, what's up squirt?"

"I, I'm sorry Ranma. I couldn't warn you," she sobbed. "I wanted to, but I couldn't."

At that moment, the pigtailed Alexander was thrust into a situation he loathed and was less than prepared for, a crying girl. Awkwardly, he tried to calm her troubled psyche, but nothing he said seemed to help. Desperately, he looked over to Kasumi with a face that screamed out, "HELP ME!"

In an instant, she was out of her chair and kneeling alongside her love and the crying girl. "Shh, shh. It's all right Monica. We're fine. I'm sure you had your reasons."

Setsuna nodded her head with curiosity. That Monica had been able to see the future with Ranma and Kasumi in it meant that the young girl was officially a higher asset than the Time Gates. "What, exactly, were those reasons?"

Monica looked over to the green-haired woman. "Because I also saw what would happen if I did tell them. It would have ended worse, much worse."

As the mistress of time, Setsuna knew all too well how dicey knowledge of the future could be. They didn't call it the Curse of Cassandra for nothing. "I'm sure that you will tell us anything we need to know if we need to know it."

The little girl smiled mischievously, in spite of her tears. "Speaking of telling you something. It's time to tell us."

Though there were looks of confusion of the faces of most of those at the table, Setsuna knew exactly what the young precog meant. As the others turned to her to glean some sort of insight into the riddle Monica had presented, Setsuna had never felt so naked in her entire life; and that included the time when she and Senny had streaked through the Royal Palace when they were both children. In a voice that the Senshi would have been startled to hear, she asked weakly, "Are you sure?" To her displeasure, the little imp nodded in the affirmative. Wide-eyed, she looked around the table at the people she had come to view as her family. With each face, a treasured memory was called up about them. Finally, her gaze settled on Justin.

His was a face of concern, and Setsuna could feel him subtlety probe for information while at the same time showing all the love he felt for her. The sight was one that she would treasure forever, especially, if her fears bore out and he decided to ditch her in light of the news she was about to reveal. Slowly, the woman that was also Sailor Pluto, took her love's hand in her own and tried to will all her love for him into that joining. "I, I have something to tell you."

"Whatever it is," started Justin slowly, "I am sure we can get through it together." Since he had first met her, he had always felt that she was hiding a part of her from him. Justin had never broached the subject since he could tell that, whatever was bugging her, it was something that she wanted, and needed, to work out on her own. That being said, he wondered what terrible burden could possibly be that had her tossing and turning some nights.

Setsuna stood up from the table and took a step back. "I hope you can still say that after," she said before letting go of Justin's hand. Before she could reconsider or run from the room, Setsuna pulled out her wand and exclaimed, "Pluto Planet Power. Make Up!"

Justin stared wide eyed as a the love of his life was engulfed in a shimmering pillar of liquid light. Through the purplish-pink water, he could see her twirl around as her body was lit up by the entire visible spectrum of light. In an eye blink, the waters receded and what he saw was Setsuna in a elaborate, and slightly perverted, sailor fuku of the same type any girl in Japan might wear. In her hand was an ornate staff whose bottom was shaped like a key and was topped by a silver heart encasing a garnet orb. Once or twice he had seen her in a modified version of the outfit, thanks to their varied bedroom games. But this was different, the Alexander male could feel the power radiate off of his love. "Setsuna, what . . ."

Pluto shook her head, "No, like this I am Sailor Pluto. Last survivor of the once great Moon Kingdom and immortal guardian of the Gates of Time."

Cynthia gasped, "Oh my god! You're a Sailor Senshi!"

The others shared the young woman's amazement, but that didn't matter to Setsuna. All she was focused on was the reactions of her Justin. As long as he was okay with it, she could handle the others. What scared her though, was the non-look on his face. It was as if he had completely shut down. "Justin?"

Hearing the soft, almost tearful tone to his love's voice was enough to break the spell that hung over the Alexander male's mind. Slowly, he stood up and stepped over to the transformed woman. Looking into her eyes, he didn't see this Pluto person that she called herself. There was only Setsuna in those violet orbs. "No, you're Setsuna," he said before pulling her into a deep kiss.

As she pressed herself against her man, Setsuna's heart was elated. The secret fears were gone now, cast to the winds by the soft breath exiting Justin's nose. Along with them went her fuku, it burst into a thousand motes of light before returning her to the clothes she had previously been wearing. For some time, the couple remained locked in their embrace. Eventually though, a cough broke the spell and they sheepishly turned back to the rest.

The first to say anything was a grateful looking Daniel. "Thank god Tami didn't see that." That effectively broke the tension in the room.

Even Setsuna laughed at the sentiment presented by the younger Alexander. With Justin in hand, she slid back into her seat at the table. "You're right Cynthia. I am one of the Senshi. I wont tell you who the others are though."

Marcus broke the question on everyone's minds. "Why didn't you know about the attack?" Though he meant to sound neutral, a distinct accusatory tone seeped in.

A pained sigh escaped Setsuna. "I didn't know. None of us did until the report. Even once I knew, the device I use to see through time could not lock in on it." She looked directly at Ranma and Kasumi, "For some reason I can't lock in on you now. Kasumi, you used to be completely clear for me, as was Ranma for the most part. Now, according to my machine, it's like you never existed. But I swear, if I knew I would have sent help, even if all I could get was me."

Kasumi took hold of Ranma's hand to show their solidarity. "We're sure you would have."

Ranma nodded, "Yeah. Probably a good thing ya guys didn't show."

Questioning looks covered the faces of most at the table. The Senshi were well known to be powerful defenders of "love and justice," that Ranma would dismiss their aid so flippantly was odd. As the Alexander's resident Senshi, Setsuna felt it was her duty to unhold the honor of her group. "Well Ranma, I wouldn't dismiss us out of hand. We could have provided valuable assistance."

Sensing the litany of sputtered denials her love was about to babble out, Kasumi leaned in to smooth out any ruffled feathers. "Ranma wasn't implying that the Senshi couldn't have helped. In fact, we're sure they would have been able to win in the end. Its just that you would have done too well. The people who employed us in this war told us that they didn't want our enemies killed, just cleansed of the darkness tainting them."

Setsuna was surprised at that. "Hmm, interesting. How trustworthy are these employers of yours?"

"Completely," said Ranma seriously.

"Okay, so we can be assured that we can trust what they say." Despite saying that, Setsuna felt a spike of suspicion. Though that was suppressed so as to not upset Ranma. "Sailor Moon has a purifying attack. Could that help?"

Ranma shook his head. "Nah. All you're attacks are deadly to them."

The rest of he family was watching the exchange in rapt fascination. Marcus though, had a question at that newest bit of info. "Wouldn't that mean they were bad?"

Setsuna shook her head, though her far away look told everyone that th woman wasn't exactly there. "Not necessarily. Back during the Silver Millennium there were about ten percent of the population that our magic hurt, or even killed. Some scientists from Mercury hypothesized that the abundance of the power was causing backlash in people's systems."

"Like an allergy that takes constant exposure to manifest," commented Daniel Though the talk about magic interested him little, he understood allergies.

"Correct," beamed Setsuna.

"So now what," asked Marcus.

"Now," started Yori with a grin, "some of us need to get to school."

In the midst of the conversation Ranma had practically forgot about his food and the closeness of school. He quickly looked to Yori and said, "Sorry." With that apology, he exploded into a blur of activity as his entire meal disappeared in a display of martial arts eating. Before anyone could take umbrage with his actions, Ranma bolted up and ran out of the house.

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In a separate part of town a similar display was occurring. This time though, instead of a black haired male, the panicked blur was none other than Juban's ever-tardy Usagi Tsukino. As was her custom, she had overslept. Despite eyelids that had begged her to sleep, most of he young woman's night had been attempting to grapple with a whole chain of thoughts. It had all started the night before right as she and the others were departing from the Alexander home. . . .

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As the porch light shadowed Setsuna's face, the woman said. "Usagi, Princess, there is something I have to tell you."

With the invocation of her title, Usagi was as serious as she could possibly be. "What's wrong?"

The woman pulled herself up to her full height. "I am going to tell them about myself as soon as possible."

On queue, the others immediately began to question their icy comrade. As the questions increased in volume and fervor, Usagi raised a slim hand, effectively killing any further discourse. "Why?"

"This latest incident has opened my eyes to the foolishness of our secrecy."

Minako chimed in, "It's worked for us this far." Being the Senshi with the most experience other than Setsuna, the blonde's word held significant weight.

"Has it? How many times have your loved ones been attacked so far? And that has been without telling them. Should our enemies discover your identities, our families would be in just as much danger as if one of them had blurted the secret to some Beryl minion. At least if we tell them, we will have people who can help us, even if its just a shoulder to cry on. And, I would like them to know in case something happens and we can't come back. Could any of you rest easy knowing that your parents would never know where you disappeared to? I know I can't." The ancient woman sighed and looked back into the house. "I will not tell them who you all are, but my mind is set."

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Setsuna had gone back inside then, and left Usagi to ponder her Senshi's words. Ponder indeed, all of last night had been spent in thought over the matter. Even Luna had been sought out for advice. Of course, she had provided little real help. The cat's cautious, almost paranoid, tendencies had spoken out against the Senshi of Time's course of action. At one point she had even intimated that Setsuna had been brainwashed by this new enemy and that the events on the television were some sort of elaborate hoax to lull the Senshi into accepting enemies into their midst.

That had been the point when Usagi started tuning the cat out. Sure, past opponents had deceived them, but never on the massive scale that Luna had suggested. So, with her advisor placed firmly on the unstable list, the blonde girl was left to her own devices. Through the course of her deliberations, Usagi increasingly saw the wisdom of her colleague's words. Who knew whether or not the next death would be one that the Crystal couldn't bring them back from? Should the worst happen, and they died without telling anyone, how would her parents react? Such thoughts had been drifting through Usagi's mind as she fell asleep and it had affected her dreams. Again and again nightmares of her mother and father in various states of despair plagued her rest.

All told, it was a wonder that she could wake up at all. Even after her mother had to employ the air horn to wake her, Usagi still took a while to get going. Flashes of the nightmares lingered and made it difficult to do anything but cry. Eventually, she had been able to pull everything together an start her day. Still, she could not get out of the house before hugging both parents like they might vanish.

Though panicked thoughts of tardy signs and buckets floated through her mind, one thing lessened that burden some. The comforting arms of her parents had settled the torment of the prior night. She would tell her them, if only so those terrible nightmares never came to pass.

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If one were the sort, they may have found it to be fate that Usagi and Ranma arrived at the school's gates at precisely the same instant. As it was, the two teens were in such a panic that they only exchanged a brief nod and a look that conveyed to the other a desire to talk once time permitted. With that nicety out of the way, the pair poured on the speed. As it stood, both were able to keep pace; Ranma from a lifetime of training and ki manipulation, and Usagi because she was unconsciously tapping into her Serenity power to accomplish the same feat. In fact, their parity of velocity resulted in a rather comic scene when they attempted to enter the class. So consumed, were they, with being on time that both moved fro the door and in the process the two heroes temporarily lodged themselves in the opening.

Had today been any other then maybe laughter would have erupted throughout the class at the teen's display. But the day was like no other and The Incident was on everyone's minds. Like Pearl Harbor for the Americans, The Incident completely consumed the populace, and the student body was no different. Every student, no matter the personality or popularity, talked about the grisly, yet hopeful, scene. Even the teacher was caught up in the fervor of events. So, as Ranma and Usagi wound their way through the desks and the seemingly endless torrent of voices, neither could could suppress their surprise at the total lack of reaction to the young man's presence. Only Minako, Ami, and Makoto offered even a token of amazement at Ranma's existence.

Once the bell had rung, there was little change in the discourse. Wherever possible, the courses were filled with epic tales of valor long past. They were compared to modern events with a strong bias to the unknown warrior and his shimmering angel. Somehow, even the math and science courses managed to include them in their discussions. Heroism or no, one constant from school remained. When the lunch bell sounded throughout the halls, everyone scattered.

Out, at their usual spot, the Senshi gathered to talk and eat. The question, which hung on all their minds, was articulated oh so succinctly by Makoto, "What the hell is going on?"

"I know what you mean," replied a perplexed Ami. "Not a single person reacted to Ranma."

"Do you think the phenomenon is similar to our disguise fields," asked Michiru.

Ami shook her head. "I don't think so. Granted, I don't have all the data, but our fields seem to obfuscate our appearance, even on recorded media. With Ranma, he was clear on the tape. More than likely, there is some force making it so that people are not connecting The Incident with him."

"But why do we remember," asked Minako.

"Why don't we ask him," suggested Haruka. "Studmeister is headin' our way."

As he approached the girls, Ranma felt a not so small measure of fear. He had promised Usagi that he and Kasumi would show at the Crown Arcade. While he knew that his missing of that meeting was entirely not his fault, Ranma expected some level of anger from his potential friends. Their smiles put him somewhat at ease, but the young man knew all too well that a kind smile can be replaced by a two-by-four quicker than you can blink. So, before he was really seated, Ranma said, "Sorry fer last night."

The girls all blinked in confusion. "What are you sorry for," asked Usagi hesitantly.

"Fer missing ya guys at that arcade place. Kasumi n' me got caught up in a bit of a scrape." The apology sounded weak, even to his ears, but since no one seemed to know what he was really doing last night, it was the best he could come up with.

Every girl, from Ami to Michiru stared at the young man, who had captured a nation's attention, as if he had grown another head. Haruka, with her history of hearing strange, rude, crude, and downright nasty shit from her fellow racers, was the first to recover. "What about that bloodbath do you consider a freakin' scrape?!"

Ranma starred at the nodding girls as shock filled his mind. "Y, you mean ya guys saw that?"

"We all did," replied Usagi as she waived an arm an thus included all of Japan in the statement. "But we're the only ones that seem to remember that that was you."

"Hmm," grunted Ranma as he scratched his head. "That's weird, Phoenix said that only my family, friends, an' those Senshi chicks would get that." After a moment or two of pondering, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Aw well, they must've thought yer my friends or somethin'"

Usagi shared a look with the others. Had Ranma paid any attention, he might have noticed that it was the, "Is he kidding," look. With a sigh, she turned back to her newest friend. "Who's Phoenix?"

"He's the guy that gave me my new power," replied Ranma absently between bites. "Think he called it, an avatar." It was then that his words filtered through to his brain and suddenly the young man could hear Nabiki's sarcastic voice, "_Way to go Ranma. Maybe you should tell the whole school while you're at it._" Taking his eyes off his food for a moment, he added, "Umm, can you ya guys keep that to yerselves?"

A round of laughter followed the young man's almost timid request. Amidst the giggles, Makoto gasped out, "Of course we will."

"That's what friends do," added a smiling Minako.

"Though some ice cream helps too," chirped Usagi.

Haruka snorted, "You say that about everything."

Everyone, including Ranma, laughed at the joke. As he looked at the laughing and smiling girls, he couldn't help but wonder, "_Is this what having friends is like?_" He wasn't sure on the answer, but Ranma did know that he could get used to it.

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The forests of the Bayankala mountains were some of the lushest and most verdant in the world. As Genghis Khan attempted to conquer the four corners of the known world, these words slowed his mighty force to a standstill. Their thick boughs had provided ample cover for the three great cultures of the region; the Must, the Joketsuzoku, and the Phoenix. So dense was the forest, that few in the outside world even knew of the region's hidden treasures. Unfortunately, just as the thick foliage worked to keep people out, it was equally adept at keeping individuals in. Such a fact weighed heavily on the minds of a small group attempting to navigate the woods. To make matters worse, a recent downpour had turned the ground into a muddy mess.

No one in the group was especially happy at the turn of events. While anyone found find the situation unpleasant, there were members of the proud Phoenix people; though you would not know it by looking at them. Only their manner of dress and odd hair styles denoted their place of origin. Of them all, the only one to retain any trace of avian features was a boy sitting on a litter held aloft by four men. Above the lad's obvious boredom, he looked down to those carrying him worriedly.

"You do not have to do that," he half whined. "I can walk on my own."

Beside the god-child walked a teen aged girl with short blueish hair. She shook her head with exasperation, "No my lord, it isn't proper for one of your standing."

"But Kiima, wasn't it you who said I should be more like the common people and less like the aristocracy?"

Kiima felt her temper rise, an issue with carrying the Tendo girl's curse. "I did, Lord Saffron," she conceded. "But even you have some requirements that you can not avoid."

The Phoenix god sighed as he sat back. "I suppose you are right. Though it appears as if I am not the only one who as to suffer," he added as he looked to the left.

"My Lord," questioned Kiima as she attempted to spot what her sovereign was referring to.

Saffron pointed towards a particularly dense group of trees. "There is a young woman that way, probably an Amazon. From what I can tell, the conditions are making her miserable as well. Go over and ask her to join us, won't you."

"Certainly," saluted the guard commander. "Khoti!"

From the rear of the procession, a young woman came awkwardly marching up. Despite her odd movement, the woman's eyes were clear and sure. "Yes ma'am!"

"Lord Saffron has detected an Amazon. Go and offer her to join us."

Khoti saluted before moving towards her target. The dense underbrush made the trip exceedingly difficult. Only exacerbating the issue was Khoti's generous curves. "_Damned Roc_," grumbled the guard mentally. "_He just had to screw up the simple task of retrieving some Nannichuan, didn't he._" Like all members of the entourage, save Saffron, Khoti had received a Jusenkyo curse to blend in upon reaching their destination. Unfortunately, fellow soldier Roc had picked the wrong jar. So instead of turning into a handsome landling male, Khoti was stuck with an attractive, yet unfamiliar, female form.

Eventually, after much cursing and several whaps in the face by errant tree branches, Khoti caught a glimpse of the young woman. Talking a neutral stance, he called out, "Hail traveler!"

The woman started at the sudden sound intruding upon the silence of the forest, but she did not run away. Instead, in a light British accent, she replied, "Hail and welcome!"

With the traditional reply given, Khoti stepped into the small clearing. "Good day. My lord Saffron, asks for you to join him on his journey."

"Where is he going," asked the woman carefully. Though recent events called for a peace, old habits, and perceptions, die hard.

"Japan."

With a smile, the woman began to pack her things. "Then I'll happily join him."

Khoti returned the warm smile in kind. "Excellent! My I ask your name?"

"You may. It's Victoria."

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Author's Notes: There you have it, the conclusion of yet another chapter. This one was particularly difficult to write. Mostly because several scenes had to be rewritten multiple times since they were just not working for me. I ended up having to write some down on a legal pad just to get things flowing right.

In the concept stages for this chapter, I got a lot of flack for the part where everyone sees Ranma and Kasumi's fight. People said that it would be so graphic that no news station would show it. But I stuck with it. Every time I thought about their objections, all that came to mind was the twin towers falling. Now, I know that that event was infinitely worse than some scene in a fanfic, and I don't want anyone to think I am even attempting to belittle the events of that day, but that was the place I was pulling from; that raw emotion we all felt as we were glued to our television screens. The sense of national loss and outrage is something that I wanted to explore and portray. But after the lows of death I wanted a more jubilant tone to round it out so there was a spark of hope returned to a fictional, yet real, apathetic country. Its the sort of thing that changes a people, and I hope I can carry that tone through later chapters.

Speaking of later chapters, the Saffron-Victoria-Mint and Lime subplot will continue as a separate entity for a few more chapters. Eventually though, they will meet up with the main cast.

A bit about Saffron. I know that he was one evil bastard in the manga, but I am treating him like The Doctor. The knowledge remains the same, yet the personality changes with each incarnation.

Hopefully, with my new anti-block technique, the next chapter will be a tad faster. And for you that like Converging Paths, I'm starting to feel it again, so I've been fidleing with that. No Life Queen is still stalled in my mind though. I may end up ditching half of the chapter and going from there. Only time will tell.

Until next time, good luck and good reading.

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People.


	6. Nerima

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners. For the purposes of this story those would be Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Chapter 5 – Nerima

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A thick fog had rolled in that morning, obscuring all but the brightest of objects. That did not halt the activities at the port of Tokyo though. Men and women maneuvered bodies and machinery through a dense forest of cargo pallets and shipping containers. Their motions dictated by complex manifests and years of experience. Between the fog and their own single-minded pursuit of their jobs, not a single soul noticed an oddly dressed young man who moved through the labyrinthine area with careful swiftness.

After crossing both land and water Lime had arrived in the homeland of the only man to best Herb in single combat. Even as a female, Saotome had been a force to reckon with. The very planet had seemed to shudder and quake in fear as the two titans did battle. And, according to Herb, that deadly power would be required once more. Lime only hoped it would be enough to vanquish the monster his friend and lord had become.

With that hope burning brightly in his soul, the tiger-descended young man had focused all of his own considerable power to attaining two goals. The first was to find Saotome. And the second was to make sure that the first was done fast enough to ensure Mint's safety.

Throughout their entire flight from Musk lands, Mint had drifted in and out of consciousness. He had been greatly injured by the rubble of the palace and Lime was certain that the wounds went far deeper than broken bones and cut skin. Had this been the field of battle, Mint's damage would have probably garnered him a quick death at the hands of Musk healers who wished to spare a proud warrior a long, agonizingly ignoble, death. Lime could do no such thing, not to Mint. The two of them had been friends and fellow warriors for too long to do that. Just the thought of ending Mint's life had burned the tiger man's soul.

As stealthily as possible, Lime trudged through the back ways of Tokyo. At another time, he may have just jumped from roof to roof and made it to the Tendo Compound in an hour or so, but with the burden of Mint, and his own weakened state, the trek was considerably longer. Nearly three days after first stepping foot on a foggy pier, the Musk male crossed into Nerima proper. By then he had exhausted all of the admittedly meager supplies he had been able to gather while in the outer provinces of Musk land. For the last bit he had devoted all the remaining food to Mint, in hopes that he would survive until they reached the God Slayer. The only good thing was that clean water was plentiful, still Lime was forced to operate on just his own ki reserves, something that wasn't advisable for extended periods.

So it was, that after much hardship and deprivations, that the Musk warrior known as Lime stood before the front entrance of the Tendo estate. Swaying on his feet, Lime pounded weakly against the gate. Before, such a pummeling would have collapsed the gate and surrounding wall, now all it did was echo out a soft knock. Fortunately, it was enough to rouse the attention of one of the home's occupants, a brown headed woman that looked at his battered form with shock. "I . . . m . . must speak to Ranma S . .s. . saotome." With his mission articulated to one that could actually take him to Saotome, that little bit of willpower which had kept him going gave up the ghost and Lime fell slowly forward.

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Walking though the Tendo estate, Nabiki looked around her home sadly. Since Ranma and Kasumi had left, an oppressive gloom had settled over the place. The fathers had initially attempted an expedition to find the missing Saotome. Their attempts had lasted approximately five minutes as the ambiguously stupid duo realized that all their money, and sake, had mysteriously disappeared. After their valiantly failed search expedition, Genma and Soun turned to their second, tried and true, tactic; brow beating. Between trying to get information on Ranma's location and attempting to weasel their way out of work, the pair had gone a long way to erode any remaining respect or patience Nabiki held for the men.

Luckily, Auntie Nodoka showed up after a few hours after The Incident aired to calm things down and impose order. Nabiki welcomed the help with open arms, but, like she had said the morning Ranma and Kasumi had left, things were not going to be like they were under the elder Tendo's tenure. Nodoka was only allowed to cook and perform one other chore. The rest of the work was divided amongst the rest of the house's occupants, and that included herself. Thinking of the sheer volume of tasks that had to be split up was staggering. Nabiki had always known that Kasumi did everything around the house, but now everything was taking on a brand new dimension. Between everyone, the chores just barely managed to get done, and yet Kasumi had managed to do them all and still have time bring light to all around her.

If Kasumi had been the one to give the Tendo home its soul, then Ranma was surely its heart. Without his almost infinite energy, all the life seemed to seep from the dojo like blood from an open wound. There were no more inane challengers, no suitors with odd weapons, not even a causal death threat. Without Ranma there, there was no reason for the crazies to come by. Sure, they stayed in Nerima, for whatever reason, but they seemed content to keep to themselves. Even the Amazons, a constant source of both trouble and excitement, were absent from the regular goings on at the dojo. As much as she bemoaned all the crap that followed in Ranma's wake, Nabiki found herself missing it all. At least there was never much cause for boredom, all she had to do is mention Shampoo or Ukyo in the same sentence as Ranma and there was sure to be some fireworks.

"God," she whispered wistfully, "I wish something would happen." As if the kami had heard her wish, there was a knock at the front gate. It was soft, and thanks to the fact that she was already heading out to buy groceries, she was the only one who heard it.

Moving wearily towards the large gate, Nabiki slowly opened the structure, less she get crushed by some new crazed martial artist. Upon opening it though, the middle Tendo daughter no longer held any fear of that eventuality. Her wish had been granted, and like most of those sort of wishes, Nabiki no longer wanted it.

"Somebody! Help!"

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The living room of the Tendo home was in a panic. With Nabiki's worried yell, the rest of the house's occupants exploded into action. When they saw what had startled the, normally, cool Tendo so, even the lazy fathers helped out. Knowing pain as they did, both men could tell something terrible had happened. The Incident fresh in mind, Genma and Soun knew that the injured men brought fresh tidings of woe.

When she saw the extent of Mint's injures Nodoka immediately knew what to do. "I'll go call Dr. Hosen." In the wake of Tofu's departure, the area needed a small scale practitioner, Dr. Hosen filled that need.

Immediately, Nabiki whipped her head towards the older woman. "Don't Auntie."

"Why not?"

"If I am remembering right, these guys are Musk. We don't know how different they are from normal people. Call the Nekohanten, Cologne will know what to do."

Looking over the boy's injuries with critical eye, Genma barked out, "Akane, start heating some water. We will need it to clean their wounds." Though he did not know the specifics of their biology, the Saotome male was confident that there was enough similarities that dirt in wounds was a bad thing. Other, more intensive methods could wait for the old woman.

Normally, sending Akane anywhere near the kitchen was a fool's errand. The girl couldn't boil water without causing a stage 3 catastrophe. Today, the shock of seeing Mint and Lime's wounds placed her in a frame of mind that allowed her to perform her task in a normal manner.

Nabiki rushed back into the room with a sizable box under one arm. "I've got the first aid kit Uncle."

Genma grunted in approval. "How are your skills with it?"

"I'm only up on the basics."

"Then start cleaning the larger one's wounds. I will handle the little one."

A touch of green seeped into Nabiki's face as she spied Mint's wounds. "T,thank you."'

It was then that Nodoka rushed back into the room. "The elder is on her way." As she watched her husband peel off the young man's clothes, the Saotome woman felt a tad nauseated herself. Coming to rest next to her husband, she asked, "What happened to him?"

"I can't be sure, but he looks like he had a building dropped on him," he said grimly.

"You've seen this before, haven't you," it wasn't a question.

For a moment, Genma's eyes flashed and he was somewhere else; a dark, terrible place of years past. As quickly as it came, it passed and he was back in the present. "Yes, unfortunately."

Nodoka looked at her husband and nodded slowly. "What can I do?"

"We will probably need rags."

"I'll go get them." As Nodoka hurried to get the rags Genma needed, she did so with a heavy heart. At the moment, the man was the same that she had married all those years ago, but she knew, from Ranma, that this was just a temporary turn for the better. No matter how much she wanted to believe otherwise, Genma would return to the man he had become. Yet, perhaps that was for the best, a return to such a person would make her decision so much easier to follow through with.

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It took all of her more than three-hundred years of control not to slam the phone onto the cradle with enough strength to shatter it. Even with all her control, Cologne could not hold back the string of curses that erupted from her mouth. The most recent news from the Tendo home did not bode well for the future. Musk soldiers do not just show up for no reason, especially seriously wounded ones. In her native tongue, the elder called out, "Shampoo, Mousse!"

Both teens had heard Cologne's cursing but they continued with their normal duties in the restaurant. As young children, all Amazons learned that it was not wise to interrupt elders when they were in such a state, it usually ended in training that one was not yet ready for. When Cologne's call for them erupted from the back of the building, Shampoo and Mousse ran towards the elder. Just as experience told them to avoid irritated elders, so too did it teach to come running when one called them.

As they laid eyes upon the diminutive woman, the teens training clashed with more martial pursuits. In the center of the room stood Cologne and both Shampoo and Mousse stood in shock as they watched the elder position a wooden breastplate over her standard robes. The richly decorated piece of armor was something that they had only seen the elder use for serious combat training. It was made of ki-wood and, unlike more ornate, metal, armors, this armor was for war. To see any of their society wear such a thing meant that the situation was beyond serious.

""Great-grandmother, what's wrong,"" asked Shampoo. So shocked was she that the purple-haired Amazon slipped into her native tongue.

""Quick, make ready to leave. You have five minutes."" With a sense of satisfaction, Cologne watched the teens stifle their curiosity and move to get armed and move customers out of the restaurant.

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"Thank you for your patience. Please, take these free coupons." As he herded the few customers out, Mousse felt numb. For all of his life he had trained to be the best male warrior in the tribe. Though there were other male fighters, none could compare to their female counterparts, but in war every hand was needed. War. Honestly, he had never really thought that it would happen, even after all the rigorous training. After the last conflict, things had been rather quiet in the valley. The only real flare ups had been dealt with by Ranma and the rest of the group, and those had been more strike missions, not full up wars. Still, though the prospect of true war did not exactly excite him, training held true and, even as he cleared the place, the raven-haired man carefully slipped on his war garb.

Even in wartime conditions, Amazons were quick fighters. Speed and devastating individual attacks were at the center of their combat techniques. Such methods were not amiable to the heavy armors other groups use. Still, that did not mean that Amazons went into battle defenseless. Older fighters had their ki-wood armor, while younger ones, like Mousse, found themselves in simple metal ones. The nearly blind man's breastplate had been made by his father, a blacksmith of some talent. Polished to a mirror finish, the metal had a white swan etched and painted into the middle. From the bird's wings there extended lines attached to weapons. It had been a gift to celebrate the day Mousse had been declared a master of Hidden Weapons.

Along with the breastplate, Mousse wore a winged helm made of the same silvered metal. Now, most Amazons did not wear such helms, they were generally unnecessary for a people who could smash boulders with their heads, as a male though, he needed the extra protection. Additionally, his father had crafted the piece to negate Mousse's most crippling handicap, his vision. Inside, there were clips that held his glasses in place along with padding to keep the delicate lenses from being damaged in combat.

As the last patron left the building, Mousse closed and locked the door. Looking back at the empty tables and half-finished meals, a sigh escaped the bespectacled boy. "The center can not hold," he muttered softly.

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Shampoo rushed into her small room with all the precision of a warrior born. Unlike the male below, she relished the prospect of a coming battle. The rush of blood would hopefully wash away the ill mood she had found herself in. Just thinking of her current state of mind had summoned memories of that terrible day. At first, her heart had lept at seeing her beloved again, even if it was on television. His skills showed brightly, even through the tiny box. Soon though, like so many others, she knew that Ranma would be beaten. The thought of a world without her love in it was a great blow, but what hurt even more was her inability to do anything. By all rights, she should have been there, at his side, battling the darkness as was proper for an Amazon couple. That proud honor had been denied to her though, and by one that she had never expected.

With a sigh, Shampoo slid on a thick silk pantsuit. Of all the women in Nerima, she had never even thought of Kasumi as a potential rival. The girl was so nice, even to a foreigner like herself, that it was impossible to think anything bad about her. She wasn't a fighter, by any stretch of the word. Ranma lived for the fight, it powered him more so than all the food he consumed. Shampoo had thought, to her error it seemed, that he would only seek out a fellow fighter as a mate. Yet, he had chosen the one who appeared the most fragile.

Fragile, ha what a farce of epic proportions. The steel in Kasumi was just as tough and tempered as that in Bro-maed. Though she was a healer by trade, Bro-maed could defeat all but the Elders with a slight narrowing of the eyes or dimming of her ever-present smile. Once one saw that, all thoughts of fighting, or much of anything else, faded into a deep well of shame. In all her sixteen years, Shampoo had only seen Bro-maed's cheery exterior fade to show the edge beneath. A certain male Amazon had been quite outrageous with his methods and seriously injured the healer's son. When the news had reached Bro-maed, she had transformed into an avenging warrior right out of the old tales. It was only the actions of the elders that had ensured the young man's survival.

That same fire, she saw now, resided in Kasumi. With Ranma's rebirth, the Tendo woman had shed her placid demeanor and had become a luminescent goddess. Despite the mandate about obstacles, there was no way that Shampoo could raise her hand to that beautiful calmness. She had been beaten, as surely as if Kasumi had struck out, the Amazon girl was defeated. And the truly damnable part of the whole affair, what really made her wonder just who she was, was the feeling that, in this case, defeat wasn't a bad thing.

So, Shampoo welcomed the coming storm as if it were a lover. For only there, in the seething mass of chaos and blood, could she find the peace her soul so desperately yearned for.

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With the two men taken care of, for the moment at least, Nabiki allowed herself the luxury of sitting quietly on the veranda with a soothing cup of tea. Normally, she preferred something with a bit more kick, but this particular blend always calmed her nerves. Just a whiff of its aroma and she could almost see Kasumi's gentle smile, could just barely hear her say that everything would be alright. She needed that assurance, now more than ever. As much as she wanted the others not to know it, seeing those two collapse at her feet had really shaken her up. Their wounds were unlike she had ever seen in person. Sure, being in Nerima, she had seen her fair share of bloody noses and broken hands, but never wounds that oozed green slime. It threatened to break through the hold she had on her emotions. So, to regain her composure, Nabiki sat, drank her tea, and stared out at the koi pond.

Just as Nabiki had worked up a good, placid, demeanor, Cologne, Shampoo, and Mousse suddenly appeared at the pond's edge. There were no war cries, no broken masonry, just one moment were there had been no one, three battle ready individuals materialized. "Wha," she asked of the trio dumbly.

"Greetings Nabiki Tendo. Our presence was requested," replied Cologne with a warmth that belied the serious nature of events.

"Yes. There are two Musk inside."

"What are there conditions?"

Nabiki shrugged her shoulders, "No clue, but they look bad."

"Then time is of the essence." Without looking to the teens who flanked her, the elder barked out, ""Guard duty!""

Nabiki raised an eyebrow as Shampoo and Mousse readied weapons and split up. "Should I be worried?"

Cologne shook her head. "No child. These are perilous times, they will ensure that no one will attack."

"Expecting trouble?"

"With everything going on? I am. Now come, let us see these young men." With an eye for any anomaly, the ancient woman followed the Tendo girl into the house. It did not take long to arrive at where the injured were resting. Immediately, Cologne reached out with her senses to take in every aspect of their well being. The larger male, Lime she surmised, had minor wounds. His ki was severely depleted though, that coupled with other factors told her that he had burned through most of it trying to get here. Reaching out with her small hand, the elder quickly tapped several points along his ki paths altering them to enhance his healing.

While Lime's medicinal needs were few, Mint's gave Cologne a measure of pause. By some miracle, or the sadism of a capricious universe, the young man still lived. Between all his injuries and the illness said wounds had contracted, he should have been long since dead. Even now, only the most meager embers of life burned within the small man.

Casting her gaze towards the Tendo girl, Cologne said, "Quickly, gather everyone. Bring Shampoo and Mousse as well."

Not asking any particulars, Nabiki just nodded and ran off. Immediately, she headed downstairs for the family room. The assembled group was nervously trying to keep themselves busy and not think of the dark tidings the men heralded. When Nabiki burst in, they jumped as if someone had dropped a live grenade.

The first to recover any of their faculties was Soun. "How are they Nabiki?"

She shook her head, "Didn't say. She just told me to get everyone and bring them upstairs."

Asking no other questions, everyone in the quickly stood and made their way to the makeshift hospital. Towards the rear of the group, Nodoka noticed that thee middle Tendo wasn't following along with the rest. "Are you not coming as well?"

"Not yet Auntie. She wanted Shampoo and Mousse too."

"Then you best hurry."

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By the time Nabiki returned to the small small room, Cologne was just finishing off an intricately designed circle on the floor. Before she could make a remark about the costs of floor repair, the reforming Ice Queen heard Shampoo gasp out, "Aiya!"

"What's that," she asked of the lavender-haired beauty.

Shampoo was not even able to construct a response before Cologne injected herself into the conversation. "On this matter both Shampoo and Mousse are required to maintain strict secrecy. What I am doing is one of our greatest secrets." Knowing what her words unleashed in others, the ancient turned to pierce Genma with her gaze. "And I do not want anyone even thinking about replicating what I do here. This is a technique that has been in development since before our people arrived in China, over three thousand years ago. To even begin to learn it one must have mastered the ki techniques that allow for the extension of life. Should an untrained individual attempt it, they will undoubtedly kill themselves, those around them, and a sizable portion of the surrounding countryside. Are we clear?"

Just as Cologne had anticipated, Genma watched her actions with an eye for future replication and procurement. Her words touched something in him though. Deep within his soul, the same honor and fear that had been awakened with the devastation of his personal techniques, the yama and umisenken, spoke once more. "I swear not to talk about this to anyone and work against those who would try and redo it." Genma then surprised everyone further when he turned and faced Akane. "I want you to make the same oath, on penalty of your removal from the Anything Goes school."

Akane stood with her mouth wide open. "W,what?! Why me," she sputtered indignantly.

Genma folded his arms across his chest as he stood fully erect. "These things are too dangerous for one such as yourself to dabble in. Now swear, or I will kick you from the school this instant."

"You can't do that," yelled the youngest Tendo.

"He can, and he will," said Soun firmly. "And if doesn't, I will." He had seen Genma's horror at what he had wrought. That sort of pain was not for his daughters.

Nabiki saw all the signs of a tantrum in Akane and lashed out at her petulant sister. "Just shut the hell up and do as they say Akane. Or is your wounded pride worth more than his life."

Initially, Akane bristled at Nabiki's tone, but that died a quick death when she looked down at the man they were supposed to help. For a moment, she saw things beyond herself. She didn't want his death on her conscious, and what else were martial artists supposed to do but protect the weak. "Fine, I swear to never try this in any way."

"Good," ground out Cologne. "Now Genma, step into that circle closest to you. Shampoo, you take the next one. Then Mousse, and Akane." Following the elder's commands, the four martial artists stood above a circle that had been incorporated into the larger design. "The rest of you, take positions between the others; taking care not to disturb the circle mind you."

Soon enough, everyone in the room was positioned within the circle. Each was eager to aid the injured Musk however they could. Cologne took one final look at everyone before inhaling deeply. "I want each of you to focus your thoughts on increasing his well being. Try not to imagine how he should be repaired, just wish for him to get better. Understood?" Nods and declarations of readiness were shared by all. "Good, please begin."

Slowly, wisps of glowing stuff began to pull off of each of the gathered. Guided by the intricate patterns and Cologne's own energies, the wisps were channeled into Mint's still form. It was ki, raw, in its most primal form, yet directed for the sole purpose of healing and revitalization. Thanks to the amount of large ki reservoirs there was plenty of energy for the process. Soon, a healthy color began to suffuse his skin. Mint's labored breathing smoothed out and sounded less and less dire. After nearly hour, the streams of energy slowed to a trickle before coming to a halt.

As the ritual came to a close, everyone finally felt the drain. For each, it was like they had run a considerably long distance and were at the very edge of just passing out. Cologne though, was not as fortunate. Being the conductor took more out of her than anyone else. Though her core ki was safe everything else was gone. Letting loose an undignified groan, she slumped forward into blessed unconsciousness.

Genma was the most used to operating at reduced levels, so he was the quickest in this state. The sometimes panda reached out and caught Cologne before she could hit the floor. After a quick check of her pulse, Genma sighed with relief. "She's just asleep," he announced gladly. While he may not like most of what she had done over the years, Genma didn't want to see her trade her life for another in such a fashion.

"Course she is, Panda man. Great-grandmother too-too drained from technique. Needs sleep to recharge."

"Do you know what we need to do now, Shampoo," asked Nabiki with a yawn.

"Need to do same as Great-grandmother. All are tired, sleep will help."

"Well I can't argue with that," groaned Akane tiredly.

Nodoka discreetly concealed a yawn before asking, "Should I make something."

With a dismissive wave, Nabiki said, "Don't worry about it Auntie. I'll go call Ukyo."

Shampoo nodded. "Is good. Spatula girl and too-too nice ninja guard good when we sleep." Though she may have derided Ukyo in public, Shampoo privately understood that the chef was about as good as she was.

"I would kill for a octopus and spinach okonomiakis, or three," moaned Akane appreciably

As she headed out of the room, Nabiki silently cursed her sister. Up until then she had been keeping her hunger in check. Thanks to Akane though, the beast was now free and growling for an extra-large shrimp okonomyaki.

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For the fourth time in an hour, Ukyo wiped down the griddle. Today was the worst kind of day a business woman such as herself could experience; a slow one. Why but a single customer had partaken of her wares. Such things were to be expected on occasion, even with food as delightfully mouth watering as her's. Still, it stung of rejection on the part of her patrons. What made things worse was that the lull in activity left her alone with her thoughts.

Around and around two thoughts circled through her mind like some furious tempest. One was the image of Ranma, his lifeblood pouring from his chest as if he was some macabre fountain. Then, came the phone call. After more than a year of silence her father just called her up. Once again, he had asserted that honor was served, that she could come home and be his little girl again. Before, she became incensed at such talk. Ranma was her fiancée and, come hell or high water, he would choose her. With this most recent call though, Ukyo had been tempted. Ranma died, even if only for a little while. He left Nerima, left her, to go somewhere else and get himself killed for Kasumi. Was that what a life with Ranma require? Was that what she wanted?

Luckily, the answers to those questions were postponed by the ringing of the phone. Acting on blessed autopilot, the chef reached over to the phone. "Ucchan's Okonomyaki, how may I serve you today."

"Hi Ukyo, its Nabiki."

"What can I do for ya, sugar?"

"Listen, are you busy?"

Ukyo looked out at the empty restaurant and smiled wryly. "Not today sugar. Need me to come over?"

"That would be great. There are some things going on, so come ready to cook for an army, and maybe start a war."

The chef gripped the phone tightly. "This has somthin' to do with Ranchan, doesn't it." Visions of his death an rebirth flashed quickly before her eyes.

Nabiki's voice hesitated moment. "I can't be sure. But its likely." The girl sighed, "Listen, I'll tell you everything when you get here."

"Okay. Konatsu and I will be there soon." When the line went dead, the chef placed the phone back on the cradle. Across the small dining room, the kunoichi was cleaning while trying to appear as if he wasn't listening in. "Get your stuff. We're heading to the Tendos."

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For Lime, the return to consciousness was a welcome one. Though his body ached and his stomach practically roared for sustenance it was better than the nightmares of sleep. Given the soft padding beneath him, the Musk male made the assumption that his arrival at the Tendos had not been a dream.

He was not alone either. Mint was in the room, and his friend both sounded and smelled much better. That could only mean that the smaller man had received medical help; something Lime thanked the gods for.

There was one other soul in the room, a female unless he was mistaken. She smelled rather familiar, which reduced the list of possible persons to a rather small handful. Given that he distinctly remembered arriving at the Tendo Dojo, it could only be Saotome's woman. There as nothing particularly dangerous about her, as such he was probably safe in 'waking up.' Knowing that it was better to appear weaker than one truly was, the Musk male groaned weakly.

After waking up little more than an hour ago, Akane had taken over for Ukyo. At first, the remaining white marks of the healing circle had pulled at her mind. The part of her that so firmly held onto her status in the art mulled over the design, in an attempt to mentally recreate it. As for the rest of her, it desperately tried to forget even seeing it. Her common sense told her plainly that such things were as far beyond her as proper grammar was from Shampoo. Eventually, Akane's rational mind went and retrieved a book to keep her occupied b far safer pursuits. When she heard Lime's groan, the young Tendo quickly put down her book an moved over to the male. "Take it easy."

Lime slowly opened his eyes, even though the lights of the room were dimmed, they stabbed at him like a thousand flames. "W,where am I?"

"The Tendo Dojo. Do you remember me? Akane?"

Slowly, Line nodded his head. "Saotome's woman."

Akane bristled at the comment but tried to keep her voice even. "Yes."

Lime attempted to prop himself up. "I must speak to Saotome, quickly!"

"Woah, slow down." With as much gentleness as she could muster, Akane pressed down on the man's chest. "He's not here right now."

The Musk male's heart dropped. After all that hardship, was his mission all for naught? "Where?" Perhaps he was just away from the place on a quick errand.

Akane's smile turned down. "Let me get Cologne. She'll explain." Before the awakened individual could say anything further, she stood and hurried from the room.

Lime's concern grew at the mention of the elder. Bringing a Joketsuzoku Matriarch into the situation would only complicate things. He had little time to consider the ramifications of her inclusion in events as the diminutive woman soon arrived at the door.

Surveying the renewed young man, Cologne shook her head. "To think, at one time I would have prayed to see one of your kind in such a state."

He couldn't hold back the surprise at that, "And what about now?"

"Nerima changes a person," she sighed. Hopping over to the his still form, Cologne looked the man in the eye. "So, what brings a Musk male to Japan while carrying an injured comrade."

"I must speak with Saotome."

"So I've gathered. Unfortunately, he is no longer living here."

"Do you know where he is?"

"No, though I have my suspicions. Can you make it downstairs? Perhaps you can enlighten us all as to the nature of your quest."

Lime did not move and, while he tried to suppress it, his apprehension was clearly etched into the lines of the man's face.

The ancient woman sighed deeply. "I assure you, according to the Treaty of the Three Kingdoms, your safety is guaranteed."

That satisfied Lime's anxious heart. Though their peoples had been in silent war for most of their existence, there were still protocols that protected the lives of messengers. "Okay, I will do my best to make an accurate report."

"Good lad."

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Downstairs, the various factions in the fiancée wars sat in silence. Each of the groups had gathered into their own little enclaves at various points in the main room. They all stared at one another wearily, it was rare that they all gathered in common purpose. To make matters worse, those times were usually in preparation for a major confrontation. A certain oddity hung over the room as well, with Ranma missing the whole gathering felt mildly wrong.

The only ones who seemed immune from the general sectional tensions were Nodoka and Nabiki. Sitting center stage at the table, the two women amicably sipped their tea and nibbled upon their treats. All of there negative feelings were directed to the ill tidings that the men brought in their wake. Something terrible was approaching and it seemed to effect both the old and new worlds.

When the sounds of movement began to manifest, all eyes, no matter their faction, turned to catch a glimpse of the one who brought such chaos. As the others sized him up, Nodoka stood and smiled. "Hello. Is there anything need?"

Lime stood flummoxed for a moment. No one had treated him with such respect. "Um, something to eat would be nice."

Nodoka smiled at his discomfort. "_So like my Ranma,_" she thought wistfully. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"Do you have oolong tea?" The green water that the Japanese called tea was not to his liking.

"I think I can find some. Now have a seat and I'll be right out."

With wide eyes, Lime made his way towards the low table and the scantily clad female who sat there. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he had to consciously still his hands, lest they reach out for her thinly veiled chest. Still, will won out in the end and the Musk warrior was able to sit without embarrassing himself.

Nabiki watched the jittery man with a keen eye. He had been rather confident until Auntie had directed him to sit. Now, she was accustomed to such reactions from those who knew the old Nabiki. Lime though knew nothing of the reputation she had cultivated for so long. As far as she knew, there was no reason for such actions. "Hey now," she said gently, "everything's okay."

"He no afraid of you Nabiki Tendo." Though her grammar left much to be desired, Shampoo worked hard to address the others respectfully, lest her great-grandmother instill further respect into via her skull.

Casting a glance at the nervous man, Nabiki said, "Well something's got him worked up."

Mousse coughed into one of his voluminous sleeves. "If I may be so bold. The issue is your clothing. Musk women dress considerably more conservative than yourself."

Nabiki looked down at her short shorts and loose tee shirt, what she had taken to call her Ranma-baiting outfit. When she had chosen them, all she had in mind had been comfort. Never did she even consider that their Musk guest came from a radically different culture than her own. With an apologetic smile, she looked to Lime. "I'm sorry. Do you want me to go put on something else."

While the others stared at Nabiki as if she had grown another head, Lime looked at the young woman with gratitude. "Thank you. But no. This is your home and your land. It wouldn't be right for me to impose."

A broad and warm smile broke out across Nabiki's face. "_Mmm, cute and polite. Not too shabby._" "Thank you."

Lime, feeling as if he had passed some test that he didn't even know that he was taking, just smiled in return.

The others watched the exchange with the same sensation one has as they watch a train collide with a car on the track. Horror and wonder rolled across the assembled faces, as each tried to reconcile this new Nabiki with the terror that they had all grown to fear.

Luckily, for everyone, Nodoka re-entered the room at just that moment. Carrying with her a tray of steaming food. "Nabiki, be a dear and fetch the tea please."

"Okay Auntie," she chirped as she stood and practically bounced out of the room; her every motion being closely followed by the morbidly fascinated gathering.

Placing the tray down on the table before the, almost drooling, young man. Nodoka smiled. "I doubt it is what you are used to, but I hope this is satisfactory."

Looking at the food with the same lust as a parched man who stumbles across a vibrant oasis, Lime nodded absently. "Is this all for me?" He practically started crying when he saw the woman's smile and nod. A moment later Nirvana swept over him as his sensitive nostrils picked up the alluring odor of oolong tea. "Mmm, that smells just like the tea back home."

"It should sonny boy," cackled Cologne. "I lent some of my own stock."

Lime's eyes grew to the size of saucers. Bowing as deeply as his position would allow, he said, "My thanks elder."

"Think nothing of it. Now eat up before that bear of a stomach devours us all."

Though he blushed deeply, Lime tore into the meal provided to him. As he ate, the others allowed him to do so in silence; many with the knowledge that a martial artist and his food were not easily parted. For the Musk male, the different textures and flavors made it all taste oh so much better.

As the young man neared the end of his meal, Cologne cleared her throat. "Tell me child. Why have you come?"

Lime breathed deeply. On a full stomach, the news he carried seemed all the worse. "The Musk have fallen."

Gasps and cries of alarm raged around her, but Cologne remained focused on Lime. "Explain."

Slowly, Lime laid out the events that preceded his arrival. No detail was left unsaid. As a warrior, he knew that a lack of information could kill just as easily as an enemy weapon. His voice though, was flat and lifeless. No Musk wanted to even contemplate, let alone witness, the downfall of their ancient people.

As Lime finished his tale a hush fell over the gathering. Everyone had either witnessed or heard accounts of the battle between Ranma and Herb. For something to torment the Musk prince was disheartening indeed. Akane though, was the first to speak. "I don't get it."

"Get what," asked Cologne.

"Why is it always Ranma? Every time someone needs something stopped, its always Ranma they come for. He's not that good, I mean I can hit him whenever he's being a pervert."

"Foolish girl," snapped the aged woman. "Have you learned nothing about him in the year he lived with you? You were there at Jusendo when he defeated Saffron. Do you know what league it puts him in? It is possible that myself or the other elders of my tribe could vanquish the Phoenix lord, but that it only because of our immense knowledge and a lifetime of careful chi storage. Thanks to either breeding or his oafish father, Ranma is a martial artist of unparalleled ability. He absorbs skills like a sponge, but even more than that, he adapts them to his own designs. None of us would have thought to do what he had with just the Hiryu Shoten Ha. With all that he has done in this short time, Ranma has gained the attention of many in the wider world. And you honestly think that you can face him in a serious contest. The only reason you have been able to best him is his damnable chivalry. If he were to ever get over that handicap, then you would be a chunky paste upon the wall. Now be quiet and let those who are truly serious talk!"

Akane looked ready to dispute the elder's words. But a sharp glare from the woman, coupled with the disapproving stares of the others convinced the Tendo daughter to be silent.

Not even granting the petulant child the honor of a nod, Colonge looked back at Lime. "Your tale is troubling. Tell me, do you know what happened to your civilians?'

Nabiki's ears perked up at this bit of new information. "Civilians?"

"You didn't think that the Musk were all like our friend here," Cologne asked with a chuckle. "No, they have women and children, the same as any other people."

Lime sighed. "The last I saw of them, there was a long line moving quickly for Joketsuzoku."

"Then they should be safe," said Cologne. "Though, with Herb acting as you say, I can not be certain how long that will last for anyone."

"He's that strong," asked Ukyo with trepidation.

"Herb, by himself is a powerhouse of ki. Many elders would be hard pressed to keep up, especially with his flight capabilities. Granted, I could probably take him down, but it would hurt. This new force worries me though. Something powerful enough to subdue him could be a threat to us all."

Nabiki's face took on the calculating look of old. "You are thinking that this is linked with what happened to Ranma, aren't you."

Cologne regarded Nabiki with a guarded gaze. "I have my suspicions. I also suspect that you know where your sister and Ranma are hiding."

"Its possible," her expression was so neutral that she could be made the pinnacle of neutraldom. "I would ask why you have been careful not to call Ranma son-in-law?"

"Ah yes, that. Ranma, as always, is a complicated subject, especially in the realm of politics. With his defeat of Saffron, he was deemed too dangerous for further antagonizing gestures on the part of the Amazons. Shampoo was allowed to pursue Ranma as long as he made no decisions regarding a future bride."

"Then explain Shampoo at the wedding," growled Akane.

The elder sighed deeply. "That was an unfortunate mistake created the fires of youth. Something that she was duly punished for, I assure you."

. "Still," interjected Nabiki, "Shampoo hasn't shown a willingness to let go. How can I know that she won't start up again if I tell you where they are?"

Shampoo, who had been silent and mournful up till now, bolted up and withdrew her bombori. "What you know about Shampoo? Shampoo never hurt too-too nice Kasumi."

"Even to get Ranma," asked the reforming mercenary pointedly.

The amazon girl nodded quickly. "Is true. Shampoo call self Kasumi's shield maiden if need to."

"Shield maiden," asked Ukyo from the wings; giving voice to the thoughts of many in the room.

Cologne sighed, "It is an old tradition. If an amazon wishes, she can choose to be a fellow woman's protector. In battle, such a warrior will fight side-by-side with the one she protects. Any slights against one is a slight to them both. It also means that the protectee's husband is exempt from any of the kisses unless she willingly allows the shield maiden to have a chance at him. On this point, no coercion of any sort is allowed." Turning towards her granddaughter with a look that showed every moment of her 300+ years of life, Cologne asked, ""_Are you sure about this child_?""

""_I'm sure elder. Kasumi has treated me with more kindness than I often deserve. I could not take from her someone she loves. After that battle it would only compound my shame."_"

""_As you wish,_"" said Cologne sadly. She could see that the decision was terribly painful for her great-granddaughter, yet she was immensely proud that the girl had chosen a different path.

"Okay, I'll call and ask if it's okay," interjected Nabiki with a smile. "I just needed to know your motives Shampoo."

Both the elder and Shampoo stared at the former mercenary with shock. "You know Shampoo words?"

_""Nabiki know enough. Not everything.""_

"Astounding. And I thank you for your assistance," bowed the matriarch respectfully.

"I wouldn't thank me yet," replied Nabiki as she stood. "Ranma may not want to deal with any of you."

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Though she had only dialed the numbers once before, Nabiki knew Ranma's new phone number as if she had dialed it every day. Quickly, her fingers dashed across the surface of the phone's number pad.

After the second ring, the voice of an older gentleman could be heard. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Nabiki Tendo. I need to talk to Ranma or my sister, if they are available."

The man's increased tension could be felt through the phone line. "What is the code?"

Nabiki smiled. To further ensure Ranma's protection, the Alexanders had instituted a code policy. Anyone calling from Nerima needed the specific word or phrase, otherwise they would get no further. "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance," intoned Nabiki solemnly. It was Joseph who decided on the phrase, taking it from one of his past presidents.

"I believe Ranma is still on the grounds. If you don't mind waiting a moment." With the correct code, the man's tone thawed significantly.

"Thank you."

The line went silent for a bit until, finally, Ranma's voice could be heard. "Nabiki?"

"Hey Ranma-baby."

"How are ya?"

"Good, I guess. Listen, I didn't really call for small talk. Something big is going down. Lime and Mint are here from China."

There was a pause on the other side of the line. "What's goin' on." Ranma's voice had dropped into mission mode.

It was then that Nabiki knew that Ranma knew what was going on. Over the time she had lived with him, the brunette had pretty much worked out Ranma Saotome. She had gotten to the point when she could practically hear what he was thinking. Right now, she knew that he knew about Herb, but the full extent of that knowledge still remained illusive. So, Nabiki quickly laid out the whole scenario. She made sure to include everything that had occurred during the meeting. In addition to the declaration of Shampoo in regards to Kasumi. Throughout the entire reporting, she made sure to lay out the facts, with zero commentary as to her opinion.

The middle Tendo could hear the gears running. With him on combat alert, she knew that he was running things at speeds that rivaled her own. The bit about the Musk civilians had gotten to him though, his gasp at their mentioning was clear proof of that. "What do you think?"

She ignored the coldness of his tone. He had obviously dropped into the Soul of Ice to deal with the news. "This is the big one and we are going to need everyone we can get. Lime's probably going to want to go back, and I bet Mint will too. Even Cologne has her people armed and ready for war. Given how things normally go, I wouldn't be surprised if a few more Amazons show up."

"Great."

"I know," chuckled the brunette. "But they are some of the best fighters we know of."

"What about Shampoo," the question was laced with deadly seriousness.

Nabiki sighed deeply. "I think she is going to be okay. She may wang you in the head a few times, but Shampoo won't do anything against Kasumi."

The line was quiet for several minutes. Yet Nabiki could practically hear the thoughts whizzing through the battle computer that was Ranma's brain. Eventually a sigh escaped from the silent device. "Ok. Tell 'em where we're at. But make sure that they know I ain't in no mood for their crap. And Pops and your dad ain't allowed to come."

She could tell that the last instruction was non-negotiable. "Okay. I'll make sure that they get the message. Anything else?"

After a moment, the dark tension faded from the line.. "How's mom?"

"She's doing fine," smiled Nabiki. "Though I can tell she misses you."

"Yeah, well, IguessImisshertoo," he mumbled quickly.

"Okay you big softy," laughed the girl. "You get going and make sure my sister stays happy."

"Can do."

"Okay Ranma-baby, see you later today."

"You too." With that, Ranma's side of the line went dead.

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With Nabiki gone, Ukyo slid up next to Shampoo. The violet-haired girl's declaration surprised her, but also left her rather disbelieving. "So sugar. Did you really get out of the fiancé race?"

"Is true. Shampoo no chase Ranma. You out too.," she added bluntly.

"What do you mean by that," growled the chef weakly.

"You see teevee. Ranma choose Kasumi. We loose."

Ukyo couldn't suppress the shudder that passed through her at mention of The Incident, and all the tumultuous emotions that went with it."Yeah. Well I want ta hear it from him first sugar," she said with false bravado.

Shampoo smiled sadly at the girl. She still held out hope, commendable if pointless. "Okay. Shampoo wish you luck."

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As she re-entered the room, Nabiki felt the intense stares of the room fall upon her. Even with as accustomed to the spotlight was she was, the intensity was rather unnerving. Still, she was Nabiki Tendo and she did not stay that way for long. "Well, I got off the phone with Ranma. But before I say where, elder, I need you to deal with the spy."

Cologne's form blurred for a moment before regaining its solidarity. "The Kuno ninja won't be up for at least two hours."

"Thank you. The last thing Ranma needs is the Kunos." On that everyone agreed wholeheartedly. "Now. Let me start by saying that Ranma has put you all on notice. He left to get away from the craziness of Nerima and he does not want a repeat performance." Through the room several heads hung low at the confirmation of their inner fears. "Further, neither of the fathers are allowed to come with the group to meet Ranma."

Genma bristled at that. "Who does that boy think he is?"

"He thinks that he is no longer a member of clan Saotome," countered Nabiki with a cold smirk.

Amid gasps of surprise, Genma went purple. "The boy left the clan?!"

"No Genma, I removed him from the records."

As if he had been stabbed through the heart, Genma stared at his wife with wide eyes. He had thought her too traditional to act in such a manner without his knowledge. "Why?"

"I felt that he no longer followed the Saotome ideal. As such, I directed him to a more appropriate family; my father's."

Genma went as white as the bandanna on his head. "Y,your father?" Though he was, by nature, a coward, there were few people in the world who could truly cause him to tremble in fear; his skills in the art normally being enough to bolster his weak spine. Joseph Alexander was one such man. While no where near the master's power, with one look the gaijin had pealed away all the layers of his mind and had beaten him upon a mental playing field. A victory that had left Genma with mental scars to this day.

"Indeed. He has graciously agreed to welcome Ranma into the Alexander family." Nodoka found the look of pure panic on her soon-to-be ex husband's face to be most amusing.

Soun watched the whole affair thoroughly confused. "Saotome, what does this mean?"

"Unless we can get Ranma to leave the Alexanders, he is immune to the pledge, Tendo," wailed the normally gruff man.

Nabiki ignored the crying men. "Like Auntie said, Ranma is living with his grandfather. The Alexanders own an estate in Minato, near Juban High." Though she was mending her ways, Nabiki made some inquiries into the new family Ranma found himself with. What she found would have made her mercenary self drool.

"_So close, yet so far,_" thought Colonge. "Do you have the address?"

"I do. But I'll be heading with you. I want to see Kasumi again."

The elder nodded. "That is acceptable."

Lime, who had been following the exchange intently spoke up. "When can we leave?"

Nabiki glanced at her watch. "Give me a few minutes to get dressed, and I'll be ready. Who all is coming?"

Shampoo stood. "Shampoo go." She would see Ranma and announce their new relationship.

Ukyo chewed on her lip for a moment before joining the Amazon. "I'm going too I guess." Though unlike the other woman, Ukyo found herself reluctant to go. But go she must, there was one final act in their little drama and, like gravity, she could not resist it.

"I shall accompany you as well," intoned Nodoka. "It has been too long since I last saw my family."

Seeing no other volunteers, Nabiki clapped her hands once. "Great! I'll be down in a sec."

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As he returned the phone to the cradle, Ranma sighed deeply. He had seriously believed that Nerima, and all its problems, no longer had him in its grip. Now, he doubted if he would ever be free of that accursed place. And as if that was not enough, there was this whole Musk thing going on. Ranma didn't have the first clue as to how he would fix that.

Many of those worries were lessened by Kasumi's gentle arm wrapping around his shoulders. Through the link, he felt her comforting feelings seep into him in an effort to ease his burden.

"Everything okay," she asked softly.

Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, Lime showed up at the dojo. Seems like Draco used that idiot Herb to mess up his whole people."

Kasumi's smile dipped precipitously. In thinking about the whole Draco situation, the possibilities of civilian casualties had never entered her mind. She had just likened it to the same old Nerima battles; one bad guy versus one good guy. "Any idea how bad the situation is?"

"Can't be sure. But the way Nabiki sounded it aint pretty. We'll learn more when they show up."

"I guess," sighed the brunette. "Maybe we should postpone this meeting with Usagi."

"Nah," said Ranma with a shake of his head. "I need some stress relief an' they're pretty good for that."

"The ice cream helps to, doesn't it," quipped Kasumi with a smile reminiscent of her sister.

Ranma blushed but didn't look away. "Maybe."

Kasumi laughed, "Well then, we should be off then Shouldn't we dear."

"Yes ma'am."

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Authors Notes: There you have it, Chapter 5. Well known to be in the top five greatest chapters of this story. Initially, I wasn't going to have any meaningful returns to the Nerima crowd. For the purposes of this story they weren't necessary. At least, that was what I thought. But as Lime got closer to Japan I began to realize that I would have to bring the others along. Don't worry though, some more Ranma fighting will be coming in chapter 6.

On Shampoo: in many stories she is seen as being unable to see fundamental changes occurring around her. Now, I know that she wasn't that thoughtful in the cannon, but you know my thoughts on that. The way I reckon things, having seen Ranma die for another on national tv would be enough to shake her from her normal modes of thought.

Special Note: This is a slightly modified version of the original chapter. All that has been changed is certain references in regards to Ranma's knowledge of Herb's possession.

Hope you all enjoyed this. See you next time.

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People


	7. Family

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners. For the purposes of this story those would be Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Chapter 6 - Family

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As Ranma and Kasumi walked towards the front of the Alexander estate, thoughts of Nerima weighed heavily on his mind. He had known that he would have to go back there eventually. Naively, the pig-tailed teen had estimated that such a reunion would be postponed till after the whole save the world thing was over. Instead, not only was Nerima coming to him, it was also bringing the stark reality of just how much this new adventure was effecting others.

Any further melancholy thoughts were placed at the back of the queue in favor of a series of questions regarding the gathering in the Alexander entryway. "Gramps? What are you guys doin' here?" Along with the Alexander patriarch, there was Gran, Justin, and Setsuna.

"Setsuna suggested we tag along."

The green haired woman smiled. "This is an important meeting and I thought the girls needed all the support they could get."

Now Ranma wasn't the sharpest sword on the rack, and he knew it. So, as looks were exchanged between the others, he knew something was up, he just had no idea what it could be. "Well, just give me a head's up in case somethin's 'bout to happen."

Setsuna giggled at the young Alexander's naivete. "Sure Ranma, that sounds like a good plan."

"Great," beamed Ranma. "So, I guess we better get going. It'll take us a while to walk there."

"Ranma," spoke Yori, "we will be taking the car. It should be faster."

That was a novel idea for the pig-tailed teen. Usually he just walked everywhere. While he did know what a car was, there weren't many opportunities to actually ride in one. "Sounds fun. Just let me get my shoes and we can get goin'."

As everyone exited the Alexander home, Kasumi pulled Setsuna to the side. "We're meeting the other Senshi, aren't we?"

Setsuna stared at the brunette for a moment. Kasumi always seemed to surprise her. One moment the woman was the kindest, most simple, soul she had ever encountered. Others the Tendo girl showed a depth that rivaled those many times her age. _"Still waters run deep indeed."_ "Yes. The Incident has convinced them to tell their families their secrets. Some of the parents will not be as understanding as Joseph and Yori."

Kasumi nodded, if there was one thing she had experience with, it was hard-headed parents. "Well, with something like this, they will need to work on that."

"Kasumi, something tells me that you could make an avalanche stop with just a smile."

The Tendo daughter adopted a surprised expression more akin to the mask she had worn for so long. "Oh my, I don't know what you mean Setsuna."

She smirked at the woman's faux vacuousness. Setsuna had missed this, the simple feeling that comes from sharing with others. Her time with the family only underscored how deprived she had truly been. Now though, that was changing, and once again the Senshi of Pluto knew the joy of loved ones. "Nothing Kasumi, was a slip of the tongue."

From the long black limo that the Alexanders were going to use for transportation, Ranma's voice called out. "Oi! You girls coming."

Kasumi waived at her man. "Just a second Ranma." Turning to Setsuna, she hooked her arm around her friend's. "Say, how bout we go out one day for some girl's shopping."

Setsuna's eyes rolled back as she moaned with desire. "Oh god! I haven't done that in ages. You are so on."

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The ride was a pleasant one for Ranma. On a few prior occasions he had ridden in an automobile of one sort or another. They were usually cramped and lacked the rush of his usual traveling methods. Limos though, were an entirely different creature all together. Sure, it was not exhilarating, but it was big. The inside felt more like a house than an actual vehicle. Plush seats, a television, even a mini-fridge, all decked out the interior. At first, he had tried hard not to gawk or explore, to show Kasumi how mature he could be. But,when his love began doing the very things he had been denying himself, the pig-tailed teen threw himself into the endeavor wholeheartedly.

Eventually, their trip in the lap of luxury came to a conclusion as the vehicle came to a stop at the base of the shrine Rei Hino called home. As they piled out of the dark limousine, Ranma caught sight of the Minako walking along with two adults who stared at him with full, open-mouthed, shock. Smiling at the blonde, the Alexander male waved happily, "Hi 'nako!"

Minako returned with wave with enthusiasm, all the while subtly checking for a certain someone. Not seeing Marcus as part of the the group was a tad disappointing, but she hid it behind a smile. "Hi Ranma!"

Shinji Aino looked sharply at his daughter, "You know him?"

"What? Ranma? Yeah, he's in my class. Why?"

"He's with Joeseph Alexander. That man helped my company make inroads into the British market. He personally met with me to help make some final arrangements before we left for England."

"Well I'm pretty sure he's also Ranma's grandfather."

The elder Aino beamed, "That's my girl. Still in school and already making connections."

"Come along you two," chided Sachiko Aino lightly. "You can talk shop later."

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The main room of the shrine's living quarters was a bustle of activity. All of the girls, from Ami to Setsuna, were in attendance. Of the Inner Senshi, only Makoto lacked some sort of adult presence. The Outers, well considering the sizable troop that the green haired Senshi of Pluto had brought, there was enough people covering them as well. Even Mamoru was there, the dark haired man sitting comfortably near his love. For the parents of the Inners, this was a most interesting meeting. Up until now, none of the adults had ever met the others. Sure, Saeko Mizuno knew all of her daughter's friends, but, had she been forced to answer, she would have been unable to point out their parents. The same was true for her fellow adults and they relished the opportunity to learn about those who most closely shaped the lives of their daughter's friends.

After allowing for some time for the parents to get to know one another, Setsuna, the oldest and most level headed of the girls, stood. "If I may have your attention please." She waited for the room the quite down and for all eyes to turn to her. Attempting to walk a fine line between the cool aloofness of her mask and the warm openness she had shown the Alexanders, Setsuna smiled. "I would like to welcome you all to this meeting. Each of you has come to know the friends your daughters have made. You have treated us all well and I would like to thank you for that. I am sure you are all wondering why your daughters have asked you to come here, and I will answer shortly.

First, I would like to congratulate you all on your raising of such fine young women. Your daughters have show remarkable resilience and the ability to rise to any challenge that may face them. I have seen them work to change enemies into friends and have done a great service, not only to the people of Tokyo but to the world as a whole." Seeing the looks of surprise, and in some cases doubt, on the faces of the various parents, Setsuna smiled and nodded proudly. "I realize what I say may sound farfetched, but I assure you that it is all true. By the time you leave here, I think you will understand.

Know that each of your children love you dearly. And it is because of that, that we have all kept from you a secret of monumental size. It is that secret that you are here today to learn. Before then, there is a story you must know.

Countless millennia ago, there was a bright and shining kingdom that spanned across the solar system. Each planet was populated and the people were happy. Guarding their worlds were a set of women. They stood against any aggressors and fought valiantly for the ideals of love and justice. At the heart of this wondrous kingdom was Earth's moon. It was from there that Queen Serenity reigned as the Queen of the Moon Kingdom. For countless generations there was a period of peace and prosperity. All of that came to a close when a petty and jealous woman curried favor with a dark god and named herself Queen. Beryl, this new Queen of a dark and terrible realm, went to war with the Moon Kingdom. The guardians of the kingdom fought hard, but eventually each fell to onslaught. Finally, it was just Beryl and Serenity. Summoning all her power, Serenity banished Beryl and her minions to the dark place they called home. As she lay dying, Serenity sacrificed the last of her life to send the souls of her warriors to the future, so they could be reincarnated when the darkness returned.

And returned it did. The guardians, having no memory of their past lives, were reborn just as the Queen planned. One by one they awoke to their power and in turn became known as the Sailor Senshi."

At that more than one gasp sounded out. While all of this talk about ancient kingdoms and magic had just gone by with skepticism, the Sailor Senshi were something they all knew to be real. With one reality, the rest of the story began getting increased relevance. Even Saeko, who was firmly grounded in the real world of science, thank you very much, had to acquiesce to the reality of the Senshi.

"Over the last few years, they have defended the planet from forces beyond most people's comprehension. They have fought long and hard," Setsuna took a moment to glare at Haruka who had sniggered despite the apparent seriousness of the situation. "As I was saying, after all this time there seems to be a new force on the march against our world. I am sure you are all aware of The Incident."

Everyone in the room sat a little straighter at the reminder of that tragically heroic event in Japan's recent past. As if they had planned it, all of the couples in the room reached out for their other halves. Even Setsuna reached down to squeeze Justin's hands real quick. That was another change The Incident had evoked, commitment was taken with a bit more seriousness than it had before. The parents, of course, had no idea that the two players of that drama were sitting in the very room with them.

"Well, because of that, the Senshi decided that it was time to tell the ones they love the truth. Girls," she announced proudly.

Suddenly, eight young women stood, much to the surprise of their parents. Holding aloft pens, they each called out their own phrase. Pillars of light enveloped their forms, transforming them from ordinary teens into something more. As the light died away, the Sailor Senshi stood were their daughters once were.

The reactions among the adults varied greatly. Nobuyuki Hino surveyed the women before him and then nodded happily. Kenji Tsukino, upon seeing his daughter transform into both Sailor Moon and a scandalously revealing fuku, chose that moment to go to sleep. Even as her husband's head hit the ground behind her, Ikuko Tsukino stared at Usagi as a whole host of memories suddenly started to make a great deal more sense. Meanwhile, Shinji turned to his wife and smiled widely. Sachiko looked at her husband's smile and frowned in the special way that only someone who had just lost a bet can pull off. Saeko though, she just stared at her daughter. There was no calculating, no shock, not a single emotion. Even Kenji had shown something.

Sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Venus each looked at their respective family members with hope and worry in equal portions. As one, they looked to the Alexanders in the room. Unlike the others, they didn't seem to be surprised at their revelation. Seeing their warm smiles, each of the girls silently pleaded for assistance.

With a gentle cough, Joseph drew the attention of the adults. "Perhaps you should take this opportunity to speak with your daughters. It took a great deal of courage for them to do what they just did, please make sure to remember that as you talk."

Nobuyuki nodded, "Yes, that is probably for the best." Looking at the other adults, he smiled and gestured towards the rest of the shrine. "Please, take a room for your discussion. Something tells me that you all will want your privacy. I for one will be staying right here and enjoying this delicious tea."

As the others made their way out of the room, Rei stared at her grandfather through narrowed eyes. He was up to something, she just knew it. Over the years she had cultivated a kind of warning system when it came to the elder Hino's shenanigans. Right now it was screaming at her near the level of a good sized nuclear bomb. "You knew, didn't you?"

Slowly, the elderly priest sipped his tea. "Knew what, that you are Sailor Mars and that the rest of your friends are the Sailor Senshi?"

"Yes," she hissed. "How?"

He looked at his granddaughter with a smile. "As you grew up you were never that popular with those of your own age. Then, one day, you suddenly start hanging around with two young ladies. At the same time a new Senshi appears. It did not take me long to realize what was occurring under my own roof."

Rei was visibly shocked, never had she suspected that her grandfather was that perceptive. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It wasn't my place. I tried to provide comfort when you needed it and waited until you felt ready to tell me." After a few seconds the wise mentor faded away and in its place was a lecherous grin, "Besides, I do so enjoy all the pretty girls and their pretty legs."

"Grandpa," screeched Rei. Now if there was one thing that the shrine maiden could do really well, it was scream. She had gotten a great deal of practice over the years and had become something of an expert at it. There were few that could outdo her, should she put her mind to it. More than a few banshees would give good money to learn at the feet of such a master.

While Rei was chewing out her elder, Ranma just cradled his face in his hands. "Damnit, another Happosai," he moaned.

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Usagi sat across from her parents and could not stop fidgeting. For their comfort, she had returned to her civilian form. Unfortunately, the loss of a major source of confidence was making her want to run away something fierce. It didn't help that both of her parents were staring at her with a look that she hadn't really seen before. "A,are you guys okay?"

Kenji looked at his wife. This was the sort of thing that she normally dealt with. Oh sure, he was concerned about his daughter's grades, and any man that touched his baby was a dead one, but magic kingdoms? What on earth was he supposed to say to her? He knew what he wanted to say, though he seriously doubted that it would be helpful, especially at this juncture.

Ikuko sighed as she spied her husband's pleading expression. "Usagi, this is all a lot to take it. I'm sure you can understand that."

The blonde nodded quickly. "Yeah, it was for me too when Luna came up to me and told me I was Sailor Moon."

Both parents blinked at that piece of news. "Excuse me," intruded Kenji hesitantly, "did you say that Luna talked to you?" He was well familiar with the cat, it was one of the most well behaved that he had ever encountered, talking though seemed a stretch.

From behind Usagi came a British voice, "Indeed I can." Strutting as if she was the queen of the universe, Luna revealed herself. "It is a pleasure to formally meet you both."

The two adults stared at the feline that they had lived with for years. Having a daughter that was also a superhero was one thing, a talking cat seemed beyond the bounds of sanity. "I,its good to meet you too," said Ikuko slowly.

Usagi beamed at her parents, "Its great, isn't Mom!"

Her daughter's voice allowed Ikuko to focus on something other than the anomalous talking cat. "Yes, yes. Now, about this whole Senshi business. Certain things in the past are starting to make more sense. Your father and I both would like to know why you never told us though."

The blonde rolled her eyes, "Oh come on Mom. I come home five minutes late or eat too much and you start yelling. How do you think you would have reacted if I told you a magic cat told me to save the world and that I was battling candy machine demons. At best you'd yell really loud and at worse you'd have me at a doctor to check if I'm crazy or not."

"_Well she has a point_," admitted Ikuko mentally. "But what about after everyone knew that the Senshi were real? You could have told us at any time since then."

Everyone, even the nicest, most steady, individual face situations where something sets them off. For Usagi, it was the accusatory tone of her mother's words. From the dark depths of her mind, all the little resentments came to the surface, eager to exact its wrath. "Well maybe I was afraid that you guys would get hurt if you knew," she offered bitterly. "Or maybe it could be that I didn't want my parents to laugh in my face when I told them that their daughter, who can't even wake herself up, is the same girl that has been saving all those people."

No one, not even Luna, had expected such a response from the normally carefree girl. Ikuko rocked back in her seat as if she had been struck. "We would have never," she wasn't able to continue as Usagi interrupted her.

"Wouldn't you," she demanded. With the anger released, Usagi was not quick to let it go. Her voice took on a deeper tone, "I just don't know about her dear. All that girl does is eat, sleep, and go on about those comics she reads." Usagi then affected a more matriarchal voice, "I know dear, Usagi is a pretty child, but she just doesn't apply herself like she should. How is she going to find someone if she can barely pass?" By now, she had gotten such a head of steam going that her ire included Luna as well. "Usagi," she exclaimed with a false British accent, "that is not how a princess should act. Stop being so lazy and do your homework." With a sneer that was completely foreign to her face, Usagi glared at her parents. "With such encouraging words, how am I supposed to think you would react eh?"

As her daughter unloaded on them, Ikuko could not help but wince at the accuracy of her words. She clearly remembered that and a hundred other similar talks she had had with Kenji and others. They had been fueled by frustration that her child was not living up the potential that was so obviously there. Never had she even imagined that Usagi would take them to mean that she was thought of less. "_But you would probably've laughed at her,_" interjected some traitorous internal voice. "_If you hadn't just seen her transform, you'd probably be doubting her right now._" The Tsukino matriarch shuddered at the pain she had inadvertently caused her child. "Usagi. We never meant to hurt you. We just wanted the best for you."

The tears in her mother's eyes cooled the fires in Usagi's heart. "I know. It just, you all wanted me to be a grown up and deal with things like you all would. But I'm not a grown up. I've always been a bit behind the rest in the maturity department," she admitted with a smile.

The Tsukino adults laughed even as tears stung their eyes. "You're right honey," said Kenji. "We should have let you find your own way more than we have so far. Though I guess we know why you sleep so much," he joked.

Usagi blushed with embarrassment. "Well, that was partly because I just like to sleep more than being awake."

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In a separate room, Minako Aino was staring at her parents with a look of complete bewilderment. Of all the responses that she had expected from her loved ones, their current smug satisfaction was not one that she had even remotely planned for. "Um, did you guys know about me the whole time?"

Shinji Aino shook his head. "Know? No. I had a hunch that you were Sailor V, but I wasn't sure."

Artemis sat up and looked at the male, "What got us?"

Though she knew that she should be shocked at the sight of a talking cat, Sachiko wasn't really. It explained the voices she often heard in her daughter's room. "Well, Mr. Smartypants over here started talking about it shortly after we came home from England."

"Right," crooned Shinji triumphantly. "And you said that I was being stupid."

Sachiko glared at her husband, totally ignoring the looks on Minako and her cat's faces. "Well what was I supposed to think? I mean how many people can honestly say that anyone, let alone their own daughter, is a superhero? That sort of thing just doesn't happen."

Watching the interplay between her parents, Minako was not quite sure where she stood with them. "So, are you mad," she asked hesitantly.

"Oh I'm mad all right," growled Sachiko, "I owe your father 2000 yen because I bet him that you weren't a Senshi."

"That'll teach you to doubt your poor, defenseless, husband," responded Shinji with mock humility. Even as his wife's expression promised pain, he turned and graced his daughter with a warm smile. "But no, we aren't mad at you. In fact, and your mother will agree with me when she calms down, we are both very proud of you."

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Ami was getting worried in a rather big way. For nearly five minutes after they had left the main room, her mother had been totally silent. As much as it pained her to admit, she had no clue as to what was going through her mother's head. Unlike the others, who saw their parents quite often, Saeko spent the bulk of her time at the hospital. And while she did not doubt that the separation pained her mother, it really didn't allow Ami much time to get to know the woman. Finally deciding that the silence was no longer bearable, the blue-haired young woman broke it, "Momma?"

"Do not call me that," hissed the older woman dangerously. For years, Saeko Mizuno had sacrificed everything for her daughter. Every day, as she fought desperately to make the lives of others better, she comforted herself with the knowledge that her darling child was reaping the benefits of that work. When fatigue seeped into ever pore and made her bones feel like lead, Saeko would think of her darling Ami standing beside her as they both made cookies together one rainy fall day so many years ago. The creature that sat before her though, was not her daughter. Her daughter wouldn't dress like some pervert's wet dream. Her daughter would not go gallivanting around the city at all hours of the night. And her daughter would certainly never throw away all of her hard work and willingly put herself in harms way.

In her ears Ami heard something cracking as the sound of her mother's malice echoed through her mind. She had never seen the woman like she was at that very moment and it scared her more than any Youma. "W,what's wrong Momma?"

Like lightning, Saeko's hand surged out and struck the girl's face. "DON'T CALL ME THAT," she screeched. "You are not my daughter! My daughter is a good little girl who stays home and works hard to get into medical school! You are just some, some, thing, that's replaced her!" Grabbing hold of the stricken girl, the woman began to shake her frantically, "Where is she?! What have you done with my little Ami?!"

By then Ami was too distraught to even conceptualize a response to her mother's angry interrogation. All she could do is cry as her whole world fell apart.

Before the altercation could go further, the door flew open and two young people surged into the room. Seeing the scene before them, Ranma and Kasumi entered into the fray and began to pry mother off of daughter. Even for Ranma's phenomenal strength, it was hard to get Saeko to release her daughter; such was the power granted by her mania. Finally though, the couple managed to separate the two. With a look to the snarling woman, Kasumi guided the weeping girl out of the room while her love struggled to hold the savagery of Ami's mother at bay.

As the door closed behind him, Ranma gave the deranged woman a hard shove. "Sit down," he ordered fiercely. To his satisfaction, she quickly did as she was told, though he could see fire in her eyes. Ranma sighed at he saw it. After the revelation, he had been scanning the rooms to ensure no one needed any help. Though he may not have a firm grasp on people, Ranma knew secrets, and he knew what people could get like when one was revealed. His new friends had just dropped a major bombshell on their parents and he would be there for them should they need their help. A spike of rage had drawn him to this room where he found a mother savaging her daughter, in his mind such things were not permissible.

Saeko watched the young man pace angrily before her. For a moment, she had thought about confronting him, but when she had looked into his eyes she had seen a fire there that promised pain should she try anything. So, for her own safety, she sat and she waited.

"Man, and I thought Pops was screwed up," he growled as she looked at the woman. "Shaking yer own daughter, that's a tad harsh."

"She is not my daughter," Saeko hissed.

Ranma cocked his head, "Oh? Sure seemed that way when we showed up. Seems to me that there is a case'v parent stupidity to me."

Though she may have been cowed by his look, Saeko was not about to let some child speak to her in such a fashion. "Listen to me boy," that was far as she got before the young man began to glow.

"I don't think so lady. Older and more powerful people tried that game and I beat them, so don't go thinking I'm afraid of you. So yer gonna sit there and tell me what's got yer panties in a twist before I start gettin' all serious like." Inside, a part of Ranma winced at the degradation of his language, but it didn't say anything given the situation.

Saeko swallowed hard at the implications behind the man's words. Here was someone who she was quite sure could leave her as nothing more than a greasy smear. "My Ami is a delicate girl dedicated to her studies. She's prim and proper, and she would never cavort with those Senshi types."

He didn't know the woman, heck he really didn't know Ami either, but he Ranma did know that tone. His own mother had talked like that far too many times for his liking. Every time she spoke of manliness to a wide eyed Ranko she had sounded just like the woman before him. Ami's mother was living in her own world. The vision of Ami she had was one built around memories of times past. This wasn't a woman who actually knew her daughter. Well, luckily for his new friend, Ranma had some experience with those types. Lowering himself to her eye level, Ranma sighed. "Let me guess, you and Ami don't see a lot of each other."

"Yes," she said sadly. "I have to work a great deal to afford good things for her."

Despite his ill feelings towards the woman, Ranma was impressed. "That's a lot better reason than why my mom and I are apart."

Hearing the pain in his voice, and sensing an understanding there, Saeko wanted to know more. "Tell me please."

Mentally groaning at the need to once again tell his story, Ranma sat down fully. "I'm a martial artist, been one since the day I was born. My Pops is one too. He got into his thick skull that I needed training and that he was the one for the job. So, when I was real young, he took me from my mother. For years I never saw her, heck I actually thought she was dead for a long while. One day though, she came to the place that I was living, but Pops made me hide from her. See, to get me away from her, the idiot promised to make me a man amongst me, otherwise we'd both commit seppuku. When she came around, Pops told me about this and made me hide from her."

"Why?" From what she could tell, he was was certainly a fine example of manhood.

Instead of trying to explain the curse, and then get a disbelieving stare, Ranma tried something that Phoenix had mentioned. With a little effort, he triggered the change of his curse. "Because I have a curse that turns me into a girl."

Saeko stared at the transformed male. Changing clothes by magical means was one thing, but what she just witnessed was just too much. "How . . w,why . . . . .that's impossible."

Ranma smirked as he pulled out a thermos of hot water. Pouring it over his head he answered her, "Like I said, I've got a curse. Cold water I'm a girl. Hot, I'm a guy. As you can probably imagine, Pops was worried that my curse would make Mom want to kill us. Since I couldn't get to know my mother as a guy, I hung around her as a girl named Ranko. I was so happy to be around her, even though she was always asking about my guy side. Eventually, the curse got revealed and she started to accept me, though she still occasionally harps about manliness and me living up to her expectations.. Despite that, we are both distant, too much time apart has made it hard for us to relate. She and I were apart for ten years, how long is it going to take you to stop bein' stupid and be nice to yer kid?"

As she had listened to the troubled teen's story, Saeko had been outraged at the behavior of his parents. In her opinion, no child should ever be treated in such a fashion. That righteous anger collided titanically with her previous thoughts surrounding the revelations of her daughter. Suddenly, a scene formed in her mind, it was herself viciously shaking her own daughter. Then, she could see nothing but a red haze, now though, in the clear coldness of memory, Saeko could see the pain, betrayal, and terror on her beloved child's face. It was a scene that broke her heart into a million pieces. She had always vowed to protect her Ami, and then she turned around and attacked the very person she had so greatly wished to keep safe. "What have I done," she asked with a dead tone.

Ranma nodded, "_Looks like she's not as dense as other parents_." "You were stupid and made a mistake. Happens to the best'v us. Question is, what're gonna do about it?"

There really was only one answer to that question and Saeko knew it. "I think, perhaps, I should see my daughter. If she wants to."

A few moments later, the door opened once more, though this time with considerably less force. It revealed a concerned Kasumi guiding a visibly shaken Ami.

Ami wanted to be just about anywhere else right about then. After her mother's outburst, her whole world seemed to have shifted 90 degrees and dumped all of its contents onto her head. Since her first transformation into Sailor Mercury, Ami had often wondered what her mother's reaction would be. Even in her worst nightmare scenarios did she ever imagine such unbridled fury and hatred in the woman's response. It had been like she was possessed by a Youma or something, only instead it was just the woman.

Seeing the fright on her own child's face really brought home the level of damage she had caused to one she loved so much. Slowly, so as to not spook the poor girl, Saeko raised her arms in offering of a hug. A spark of joy filled her battered heart as her darling Ami moved forward to accept the embrace.

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It was a very satisfied Ranma and Kasumi who walked back into the main room of the shrine. At seeing the concerned looks on the faces of the others, Ranma's smile grew and gave them all a thumbs up. "They should be fine."

A round of happy sighs filled the room. While no one had expected the parent's reactions to be completely salutary, not even Setsuna had predicted Saeko's actions.

For several minutes, everyone waited in silence. Only the occasional sip of tea interrupted the tranquility. To Ranma, the peacefulness was frightfully boring. With a quick glance to the clock on the wall he asked, "So what now."

Setsuna sighed as she put down her cup. That same question had been plaguing her for some time now. "I had hoped for certain other secrets to come to light today. It would have given you a good opportunity to gauge our abilities for the trials ahead. Unfortunately, I did not expect things to get as they have. So, for now, I suppose we should postpone all that."

Though Rei and her grandfather looked on with confusion, Ranma nodded. "Okay, sounds good to me." Looking at Kasumi, he took her hand. "What'd ya say? Want to go do somethin' before the Nerima squad lands on our heads?"

Kasumi beamed at him. "That sounds wonderful."

"Great!" Jumping up, Ranma looked to the members of his family. "You guys might want to be there too."

"Absolutely. Alexanders never stand alone," said Joseph proudly.

As he looked into his grandfather's eyes and saw the sincerity there, Ranma stood a little straighter. All his life family had been something that one could only count on to be a bother. Genma was only there when it suited him. With Nodoka, he was never quite sure where the wind blew with her, one minute she was totally supportive, the next she was berating his manliness. This new family though, it was growing on him fast. They accepted him without question and they were pretty fun to boot. "Thanks Gramps."

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Not knowing when the others would arrive, Ranma and Kasumi only got something to eat before returning home. Still, he had been able to make their time the slightest bit exciting through careful use of roof hopping. As they landed in the front yard of the Alexander compound, he gently sat her back down. With a grin, Ranma watched his love straighten out her dress from the mess their trip had made out of it.

"You know," said Kasumi as she stood, "I never get tired of that."

He smirked, "Yeah, well this time we weren't trying ta have sex the whole time."

Kasumi went from a normal skin tone to a full body blush in under a second. "Yes, well, that certainly ended well," her reply was part giggling school girl part lustful woman.

"Come here you," growled Ranma as he pulled her into a deep kiss.

As she pressed herself into the man that she had given her all to, Kasumi wanted nothing more than for him to take her up to their room and make love until neither one of them could move. She had heard people talk about lovemaking, how two people could become one, if only for an instant. And while she was not so vain as to think she was better than anyone else, Kasumi held serious doubts as to whether or not those experiences truly compared with the soul shattering love she had shared with Ranma. The gift of Centauri's had only heightened their bond and Kasumi had vowed never to think ill of the star that had given them so much.

Still, as much as she wanted him, Kasumi held onto enough pragmatism to realize that, should she allow their passions to take hold, no one would see them for the rest of the day. The whole Nerima crowd was approaching their position at some unknown speed, and it would be rude to be in a state where they couldn't attend the meeting. So, with a great deal of reluctance, the brunette pulled away. "Ranma, we should probably stop."

Now most guys, once the engine got running it took a little bit to shut it down. Ranma though, thanks to some serious training at the hands of Akane and others, could go from a hundred to zero pretty much instantaneously. Stop, in his mind, was a lot like no and if Kasumi said to stop then he better damn well stop. He was learning when it came to affairs of the heart though, and did not release her like she was on fire. "You're probably right, Kasumi," he said with a sigh.

Though she appreciated his stopping, Kasumi could not help but giggle at the sad little pout her boyfriend unconsciously adopted. "Come on, I think I know something that we should enjoy just as much."

That got Ranma's attention, "What?"

"I want you to start training me." As Kasumi looked into her love's eyes, she could see the storm of emotions that her words had unleashed. This had been coming ever since the battle against Centauri. The brunette had formulated a whole slew of arguments and counters to whatever Ranma could come up with. At the core though, she never wanted to feel so helpless again. She may never be able to fire ki blasts or punch at the speed of sound, but some training could help her escape a particularly dreadful situation.

But one should never try and truly predict Ranma Alexander. Sure, nine times out of ten you would be right, but when you plan for the tenth that's when things start to break down. Instead of protesting or anything else, Ranma's eyes gained a happy gleam. "Yer right! That does sound fun. Meet you in the back."

As her boyfriend ran off, Kasumi smiled and shook her head. She knew, when she decided to be with Ranma, that things would happen when she least expected them to. Still, he managed to surprise her at times. "_At least_," she thought happily, "_my training with him has already started better than Akane's_."

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For the fourth time in the last few moments, Nabiki Tendo looked down at the sheet of paper in her hands. There written clearly, in her own handwriting, was the address that was proudly emblazoned on the front gate of the compound before her. "_I knew the Alexanders were well off, but I didn't expect this._" For a moment, the remnants of her inner mercenary calculated the worth of the property and began cursing Nabiki for not taking Ranma when she had the chance.

When she was finally able to reconcile the two facts of Ranma and the house, Nabiki turned to her traveling companions. It was clear that they too were surprised. Even Cologne, the woman who had seen practically everything, looked upon Ranma's home with awe. "Child, are you sure of the address?"

Nabiki smirked, "Believe me, not even I had any idea it was this big."

Though she was just as amazed as the rest, the Joketsuzoku elder had a great deal of experience recovering from shock. "Then we should make our presence known. Undoubtedly Ranma is waiting for us."

With a measure of caution, the group moved past the open gate and headed for the front door. Despite the presence of far older individuals, Nabiki had somehow been appointed leader of the band. Unlike the other girls, she had nothing to fear from this place so she confidently pressed the doorbell.

In moments, the door opened to reveal a man dressed as a gentleman's gentleman. If he was surprised at all at the sight before him, he didn't show it. "Good afternoon."

"We're here to see Ranma."

"Ah yes. Ranma said he was expecting visitors. If you would follow me to the living room, Joseph wishes to speak with you while I fetch his grandson." Politely, but a with a tad chill to his manners, the man led them through the corridors of the Alexander estate before depositing them in a well furnished room. "Please, make yourselves comfortable while you wait."

Before they all really managed to get seated, a towering man seemingly appeared in the entrance. Given the man's appearance, it was quite obvious that he was related to Ranma. His eyes held the same cold hardness that the younger male sometimes carried when he was less than pleased. "Good afternoon, I am Joseph Alexander. I am well aware of who you all are. Your claims, and grievances, with my grandson are known to me. Know this, under my roof I will not tolerate any of your usual foolishness. Ranma is an Alexander now, and if harm comes to him the full force of this family will come down on the perpetrator. Do I make myself clear?"

If it came down to a fight, half the people in the room could render the man into a fine paste, but everyone in the room knew that there wouldn't be a fight. This was a man who would strike at them in ways that most couldn't comprehend. Even Cologne, who had faced down some pretty serious foes, had to admit that she did not want to anger this Joseph Alexander. So, with varying degrees of earnestness, everyone agreed to the man's terms.

Joseph's ice thawed, if only a little. "Good. Ranma and Kasumi should be down shortly. Until then, I have some business to conduct with Nodoka."

Hearing her name, Nodoka swallowed hard. She had known this confrontation would occur the moment she had called home again. It had been years since she had last seen her family. For a while, as Genma was gallivanting around Japan with Ranma, her stubbornness had managed to keep the loneliness at bay. Time passed though, and she more and more missed those she had loved for so long. Even now, after the sting of betrayal so long ago, hearing her father's voice made her feel more at ease than she had felt in ages. Nodoka really didn't want to have this conversation, but she knew that she would have to. Soon Genma would be out of her life and, now that she was once again in her old home, she was beginning to want her family back. That did not stop her from looking like some condemned prisoner as she followed her father out of the room.

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When they reached his study, she noted that it was just the same as she remembered. Slowly, she walked over to one of the chairs sitting across from her father's desk and stood there.

Joseph sat at his desk and just stared at his daughter. For years he had replayed those days so long ago. The words that were said then he so desperately wished he could take back. Time was a cruel mistress though, she let you remember the past and laughed at your desires to change it. As he looked at Nodoka, he saw that at least time had been kind to her. The Alexander genes had served her well over the nearly two decades of absence. Still, he could see the pain and the heartache that clung to the woman. "Please sit."

Not wanting to be the first one to do something wrong this time, Nodoka quietly acquiesced to her father's request.

He knew what was going on in her head, even without the gift. She had always been an open book to him and time had not done much to change that. Neither wanted to repeat the fight they had so long ago, but was going to avoid talking altogether. "Nodoka," he started coldly. Hearing that chill though, Joseph stopped and shook his head. "My daughter," this time there was a greater amount of warmth there. "There are some things that need to be said and I want your word that you will not interrupt."

"You have it," she replied with some forced warmth of her own.

"Let me start by saying that I understand the reasons as to why you felt it necessary to leave us. We acted poorly to your choice of husbands and should have given you a bit more of the understanding that your mother and I wished we had wished for during our own courtship. And, I was wrong when I said that nothing good could ever come from Genma. Ranma is an excellent boy Nodoka, and I am damn proud to have him in the family."

Throughout her father's speech, Nodoka had perked out considerably. For years she had hoped to hear something like it from him. His praise of Ranma was icing on the cake. "I'm glad you approve of him."

"However," this time he removed none of the coldness or anger that he harbored. "While you remembered the spirit of what occurred between your grandfather and us, you forgot the actual events. He promised to kick Yori out of the clan if she married me. With you though, we yelled, we screamed, we begged, and we forbade, but we never threatened you with banishment. You left us all by yourself. And when you left you shattered this family! Do you have any concept of what you put us all through? I am not just talking about your mother and I, your brothers were just as devastated. Both Martin and Takashi ended up leaving for years simply because the pain of being here was too much, but at least they kept in contact. You could have called, could have written, could have done a million things. Instead, we find out about your marriage and Ranma's birth all because your grandfather was so petty that he kept us up to date just to torture your mother and I."

On one level, Nodoka had suspected much of what her father just told her. That did nothing to stifle the flow of tears. In all her years, she had seen many emotions exhibited by her father, but never once had she seen him crying so openly. Once, a long time ago, the petty mote of anger towards him had wished to see Joseph cry. Now though, even it was cowed by the sorrow she felt. "Do you wish me to commit seppuku for the pain I've caused?"

If they could, Joseph's tears would have turned to steam from the fire that sprang to life in his eyes. "You would compound one separation with another," he roared. "I know I tried to teach you about Japanese traditions but suicide is never an option in this family. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," squeaked Nodoka fearfully.

Joseph settled down some. "Good. Now that I have unloaded on you, do you have anything to say to me?"

Nodoka was silent for a while as she thought of something to say, finally though a laugh escaped from her. "You know, for years I'd planned out what I was going to say. And now, you've said most of it. Its rather hard to be mad at you when you are agreeing with most of my points."

She sighed bitterly as she once again looked at the room. "When I first called, I still hated you. I was right and I was sure you'd never admit it. Knowing that Ranma was here with you made me think more and more about you all."

Nodoka lowered her head. Inside a war was being waged between various factions. Eventually, they sided into two camps. On one side was all of the rage and hatred that she had built up over the years since her parent's "betrayal". The other was headed by the child in her who just desperately wanted to be a part of her family once more. It was to this side that her father's words began to sway the debate.

"I,I've been so lonely these last years." That was the final chink in the armor of Nodoka. The first had been just seeing her old home once more. New tears, ones formed through years of loneliness and despair began to flow in great torrents down her cheeks. "I just want to come home," she wailed.

Like lightning, Joseph was around the table and comforting his daughter. He had been hoping for this. Sure, it would take a while for the wounds to heal, but now he was sure that they would.

000000000

After they heard that the others had arrived, Ranma and Kasumi stopped their training and headed for the bathroom. Though the heat of the furo beckoned them, the couple settled for a quick shower. As her slim fingers ran across the muscles of her lover's back, the brunette could not help but notice the tension there. He had been so calm and carefree when they were training, now though she could feel him slip ever deeper into mission mode. "Ranma, you need to settle down. Nothing will be helped if you go in like you are itching for a fight."

To his credit, Ranma allowed Kasumi's words and feelings to calm him. "You're right. I'm just afraid that one of the crazies will pull somthin' and try and hurt you."

She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her front into his back. "I trust you Ranma. You'll not let anything bad happen. Just promise me that you won't let them manipulate you."

Ranma sighed as he took one of her hands into his own. "I'll try Kasumi, I really will. But you know how I can get around cryn' girls. I promise to make damn sure they know yer my girlfriend though."

"Okay," she giggled. "And I'll be there to help you when you need it."

"Wouldn't want it any other way."

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A short while later the young couple walked hand-in-hand into the living room. Some gentle pressure on his hand helped Ranma keep his cool even as a room full of eyes turned his way. Immediately, he spied both Ukyo and Shampoo. To them he made sure to cast a rather harsh glare to ensure their continued motionlessness. Of everyone in the room, those two had already destroyed one dojo and one home, and he was damn well not going to tolerate that here. The rest received neutral stares and the occasional nod.

Once it became clear to him that they were waiting for him to speak, Ranma broke the silence. "I'm not going back. The only reason you know where I am is that Lime needs to talk to me."

From behind the pig-tailed teen spoke the voice of an older woman, "Quite right. Ranma is an Alexander now." The Alexander matriarch stepped out of the shadows and placed a hand on her grandson's shoulder. "And he doesn't have to leave unless he wants to."

As Ukyo looked at Ranma and Kasumi the last vestiges of hope faded. Over the years she had seen many a couple come into her store. The pair before her were as close as the most devoted she had ever encountered. She had lost the war to the fiance equivalent of Switzerland and, for the first time since the battles began, Ukyo felt okay with that. Of all the women that Ranma could have ended up with, Kasumi was certainly one that all could agree was a worthy winner. "_Well dad, looks like you're getting your daughter back after all._"

Slowly, so as to not appear hostile, the chef stood. "I think I've seen enough. I'm gonna throw in the towel. Later Ranma."

Ranma looked her in the eye and saw that she truly had given up. Seeing that, he smiled at his old friend. "I'd love to have ya as a friend Ukyo."

"I'm gonna need some time sugar," she sighed. "But I know where you live, and if the folk's don't mind, I might just come on by again. Right now though, this chef has a restaurant to get back to."

Though he wanted to say a great deal to sooth his friend's pain, Ranma knew that now really wasn't the right time. Either he would say something to anger her, or something to give false hope. Neither was a favorable outcome. So, not trusting himself to speak, the young man nodded and smiled.

When people talked to Shampoo of the Joketsuzoku they often came away with the impression that certain species of dust bunnies had a greater depth of intelligence. Now, it is true that she would never be offered any MENSA memberships, but she was also not that stupid either. The purple-tressed young woman did suffer from an acute inability to really learn other languages, so she was stuck sounding like a bimbo when speaking to native Japanese speakers. That being said, she was smart enough to know that it was better to get nasty relationship stuff out of the way before planning for a war.

So, with palms out to show she wasn't going to try any of her normal shenanigans, Shampoo stood. "Shampoo no hurt Kasumi." With sadness in her heart, the teen walked over to the pair. "Shampoo tell Nabiki that Shampoo become Kasumi's Shield Maiden, if she have me."

Before Ranma could ask what Shampoo meant, Kasumi stepped forward and took the girl's hand into her own. "I don't think I need another protector, Shampoo. But would you allow a sister to satisfy your honor?"

For the second time in a day, Cologne was awed by the knowledge of a Tendo daughter. "How did you know?"

Kasumi cocked her head. "Well Shampoo left a book of laws at our home for Ranma to study. I had some free time so I looked through it."

Shampoo though, didn't hear the explanation. Instead she was too caught up in Kasumi's offer. "Is true? Kasumi want Shampoo for sister?" She didn't even attempt to disguise the hope she dared feel at that moment. In the village, friendships tended to stay in the family. When anyone could be a potential rival, family was the only thing you could count on. Thanks to a scrap with the Musk, her mother died without siring any other children, so Shampoo grew up as a only child. Being basically her great grandmother's ward further isolated her. By the time Ranma came around, she was desperately lonely. Now, one of the most caring, wonderful, people she had ever encountered just freely offered sisterhood.

The eldest Tendo daughter nodded happily. "Yes, if you and Elder Cologne don't mind."

Cologne stared at the girl with ill-disguised shock. "_It's Nerima_," she thought desperately, "_it has to be. That damn ward just breeds people that shouldn't rightly exist._" Kasumi Tendo was just that sort of person in her book. No one could really smile and stop a battle cold. No one knew everyone's name and always had a kind word. And certainly no one, when presented with someone who had tried to kill, ensnare, and coerce multiple loved ones, just up and asks to be made a sister. Yet, here before her, the eldest Tendo stood and smiled. "_And she knows that this gets me what I want. I adopt her, she marries Ranma, and Ranma is part of the family_." Trying desperately to form some kind of official looking face, a slip of a smile cracked the woman's face in twain. "I cannot see a problem with that."

The only answer was a girlish squeal as Shampoo leapt into Kasumi's arms. As she watched the newly minted sisters, Nabiki ran the same numbers as Cologne. "_Way to go sis. Put yourself into a safe position and make an ally out of the old woman. Couldn't have done it better myself_." Proudly, the middle Tendo walked over to the two women, "Well, welcome to the family Shampoo. Though I'd be careful, daddy may want to get you hitched to one of his other friends," she said with a laugh.

"Aiyah," gasped the Amazon with false horror. "Shampoo no think about that."

As the girls had their fun, Ranma looked over Lime. The other man's face showed some of the same befuddlement that he was sure rested on his own visage When he was able to catch the tiger man's gaze, the ex-Saotome motioned for him to follow. "Kasumi, I'm gonna to talk to Lime."

While she was enjoying the sisterly camaraderie, Kasumi looked at her beloved. "Want me to come along?" She knew all too well what this discussion was going to be about and if Ranma wanted her there then she would do everything in her power to be with him.

"Nah," he said with a shake of his head. "You stay here." Then, with a thought, he sent, "_**But if you want you can listen in.**_"

"Okay," she beamed. "_**Thank you.**_"

000000000

Ranma led Lime to the rec room. Following was the elderly form of Cologne. The Alexander male raised an eyebrow at her presence, but otherwise said nothing. A quick check of the area told him that no one else was using the space, so he locked the door behind him. "Okay. How bad is it?"

"How much did Nabiki tell you?"

"Just that a whole mess of yer people were heading towards the old ghoul's." When the cane came in to whack his head, Ranma didn't even bat an eye. As he rubbed the spot where it hit, Ranma kept focused on the Musk male. "I need to know how many."

"Probably everyone in the capital. Some of the outlying farms can probably take some, but most will be heading for the Joketsuzoku."

"At least a thousand," offered Cologne.

He had been hoping that the numbers were small. Even though, in reality, he knew that the world rested on all this, Ranma had been able to keep himself insulated from the enormity of it all. "Damn . . . damn, damn. Really?"

"I am afraid so Son-in-law. It would probably be best if we head back to China immediately."

Lime nodded, "Yes! You must save my lord and my people."

Ranma winced at the pleading tone to the warrior's voice. "I can't . . . .not right now."

Both Cologne and Lime looked at the pig-tailed teen with confusion clear on their faces. "Why not Son-in-law?"

For a while, Ranma stood there, weighing his options. He was carrying a secret that probably shouldn't get out, yet both Cologne and Lime's people were directly involved in the affair. Finally, pragmatism won out, he and Kasumi needed allies in the war to come. Phoenix said that there were other avatars, but who knew if they would be enough. These two could prove to be valuable allies and resources. "I want yer word of honor that you'll not repeat any of this, both of you."

"You have it," replied Cologne readily. Though she knew how secrets could be trying on the soul, the elder had a good idea what this one was about.

Lime stood up straight and placed his fists together as he bowed. "I so swear," he said formally.

"Okay. Now Cologne, how much of that fight on tv do you remember?"

"All of it, I must say Son-in-law, I never expected such a thing happen to you." In answering his question, Cologne tried very hard to not think about the events of that day. The mental scars were just too fresh.

Ranma nodded. "Good, was hoping you'd be included." When he caught sight of Lime's obvious confusion, he nodded, "When we're done here, I've got a tape you need to see."

"It will explain a great deal child," offered Cologne.

Not knowing what a tape was, Lime just nodded, "Okay."

"Well the people that gave me the power to do that are in trouble. The short version is that Kasumi and I need to save the world from whatever has Herb. But we've got to wait for some others that we also given power to find us before heading that way. Plus, there are some girls that may be able to help too."

Cologne started going over the information. Obviously there were holes, but knowing Ranma there were probably reasons for it. The missing people seemed to not worry him, but the girls did. "What do you know about these girls? Are they powerful?"

"Yeah, I think so. I was going ta find out today, but that had ta be pushed back. I wouldn't mind if you came along to help get a feel for what we can do with them. Plus, you can hear the whole thing with them."

The old woman nodded as she churned over the information. "I do not see a problem with that. Have you done anything to rectify the holes in Kasumi's abilities?"

Ranma laughed as he scratched the back of his head, "Funny ya mention that. We had our first session today."

"Good, good. I do not know the extent of her powers, but training at all should help. I would suggest that you increase your own efforts in that area as well. If the situation is as dire as you say, any edge will help.

000000000

With a sigh, Lynx felt the final changes to his host's body slide into place. It had been a trying battle. Maomolin had actually managed to put up quite a fight before submitting. From the outset though, Lynx never doubted who would be the Alpha Predator. The fool had been strong, which was why the ghost cat had been chosen in the first place. Unfortunately, Maomolin had been so powerful that most of Lynx's energy had been used up in the fight. "I can't fight anyone like this," he groaned weakly.

Luckily, his master, the great Draco, had given him tools to use in his quest for the crystal. It took the tiniest amount of concentration to form the black sphere in his paw. "Go, find a worthy heart and blacken it." The sphere of voidstuff seemed to vibrate with anticipation before flying off into the city.

On and on it floated, seeking a prey that its master would appreciate. Eventually, it came across a young woman. In her heart great dreams of helping her fellow man danced merrily. If it was capable of it, the voidstuff would have laughed evilly at the prospect of corrupting those dreams. What it did do though was slam into the girl's chest, filling her with its darkness.

000000000

Back in the rec room, Ranma was in the process of working out a schedule with both Lime and the elder when he felt a wave of pure darkness sweep over him. It was different than what he had felt against Centauri, but there was a certain air about it that was all too familiar. Without a word to those around him, he began to run away and into the house. As he ran, Ranma's form began to shimmer, like the highway at midday. The shimmering seemed to ignite his clothes in maelstrom of flame. When it abated, his clothes were changed and he was once more the avatar of Phoenix.

Behind him, Cologne and Lime followed. Neither knew what was going on, but they were both sure that it was something important. When Ranma burst into flames, the firey-haired Musk looked on in shock. He was a Musk though, born and raised to be a warrior. Allowing oneself to be distracted by shock in battle could get not only you but your whole team killed, and this certainly felt like a battle scenario. The cold resolution radiating off the elder only lent credence to that idea.

The procession only slowed a bit to incorporate a transformed Kasumi and awed Shampoo into their ranks. "You felt it too," asked Ranma as they ran for the door.

Kasumi nodded as she mentally worked to keep her wings folded in. "Yes. Someone is in trouble."

As Ranma threw open the front door, he called back to his girlfriend. "Go on ahead! People might need healin'."

She did not answer, not verbally, not even telepathically. There was no reason. For the moment action was all that was required. With just one mighty push of her wings the young woman was airborne. In her mind's eye, the darkness shined brightly and without reservation Kasumi angled herself in that direction. She could go forward so carefree because she knew that, right behind her, Ranma was breaking several of the conventionally agreed upon rules of physics to keep up.

000000000

Back at the shrine, the various Senshi and their parents had reconvened in the main room. Stories of their daughter's time on the team whirled around them. No matter the tenor of the tales, each of the adults in the room enjoyed them immensely. They shed so much light onto a section of their children's lives that had been dark for too long. So many questions over the years were being answered. Odd mood swings, erratic behavior, trouble sleeping, all of it made so much more sense and more than one adult found themselves really upset at the negative thoughts such events had engendered in them.

There was laughter, and tears, and a real honest sense of connection that prevailed in the room. All of that came to an anxious pause with the piercing tones of an alarm. The gazes of the room all ended up focused on one very embarrassed Ami.

Even though being the center of attention was rather uncomfortable, a long time of being the one who had all the answers allowed her to work past that and open her computer up. There were murmurs from the adults about her device, as it was rather advanced for the time, but she tuned those out. As her fingers flew over the tiny keys, various reports and magical overlays filled her vision. The more she read of them, the less she liked. Had she been thinking on it, Ami would have suspected that she went rather pale as some of the analysis came in.

Saeko was the first to take notice of her daughter's condition. "Is everything all right dear?"

Ami shook her head, her eyes never leaving the screen. "I'm detecting . . . something. It has a power curve that puts it near some of the more powerful Youma we've faced."

The less than confident tone of their compatriot's voice did not do a lot to bolster the Senshi's confidence. "Is it a Youma though," asked Usagi. "Or is it like the other day?"

"I can't be sure. It's radiating dark energy, yet at the same time its also radiating nothing."

"Who cares what its doing," growled Haruka as she bolted up from her seat. "Let's go find it and kill it." The rest of the girls followed her lead and pulled out their own wands.

"Wait," exclaimed Setsuna in a manner that seemed rather odd to her fellow Senshi. "We need to be careful with these new enemies. Until we can be totally sure, don't use direct attacks against them. Especially you Usagi."

As the other girls stood, they all cast worried looks at the tanned woman. "Why not?"

She shared a quick look with Justin before sighing. Setsuna had hoped to hash all this out with Ranma and Kasumi in attendance, but it seems as if fate had other plans. Luckily, she had pressed the issue with the teen, otherwise she may have been completely in the dark. "I've talked with the two from the television. Our attacks could cause more harm than good. So for now, don't shoot. Grab whatever you can and wail on it, but don't attack. Something tells me that they will be there and they can fill us in more."

"Okay Setsuna, we'll be careful," stated Usagi firmly. "Let's go guys!"

By her command, nine columns of multicolored light once again filled the space. Even as the residual wisps of their transformations hung in the air, the Senshi were running out of the room. Behind the team, their loved ones cried out their well wishes and pleas for a safe return home.

000000000

Thanks to their closer starting point, the Senshi were the first to arrive at the site of the attack. Luckily, the area was clear of any civilian casualties, though there was a great deal of property damage already. In the center of the wreckage was a creature unlike any the Senshi had encountered. There were no candy stripes, or frilly bows, it was just a vaguely humanoid black form. Its eyes, a pair of golden dots, stared at them.

Pluto, who had actually ran with them, surveyed the field. "Remember, no attacks yet."

Uranus grinned wickedly and cracked her knuckles before summoning the Space Sword. "Sounds good to me." The heroine jumped off the roof with a roar.

Right behind was Jupiter, who also wanted to get some serious butt-kicking in on this new foe. The others though, those used to more ranged combat, looked a little out of their element. Even Mars, who could be rather devastating with a broom, seemed worried.

The Senshi of Pluto rolled her eyes at the other's actions, or lack thereof. "Oh come on, there's a lot of rubble down there, grab something and start holding it in one place." With that bit of sage advice, she jumped off as well, the Time Key in her hands was brought to the fore. Even with no magic surging through it, the staff was still a formidable weapon, especially in her hands.

A short while later, the Senshi were even less confident than they had been before. Though not incredibly fast, the creature was light on its feet, even experienced fighters had some difficulty against it. Also, the simple physical attacks seemed to matter little against whatever it was made of. Even slices from the Space Sword and the Silence Glaive, which went rather deep at times, seemed to heal quickly. What made things even worse were the occasional blasts of darkness the thing would shoot from its mouth. Some of the less even tempered Senshi were getting rather close to just saying hell with it and pumping some energy into the beast.

It was then that Kasumi crested the roofs to hover above the battlefield. The destruction really didn't phase her, a native of Nerima took a rather wide view on the matter of what constituted desolation. What caught her eye and refused to let go was the thing the Senshi were fighting. Through the black mass she could see the form of the girl that the thing had possessed.

_**"It is called a Shade, Kasumi."**_ Cygnus' voice slipped in between her thoughts without disturbing them in any way. _**"Only the purest of lights can banish their darkness."**_

As one of the Senshi, Jupiter, raised a particularly nasty piece of rebar to bring it down upon the Shade's head, Kasumi feared for the person inside. "Stop!" Between her natural voice and the power of her benefactor, all below her came to a screeching halt.

"There is someone in there," she exclaimed as she sent a beam of light heading towards the Shade. Unfortunately, it did not do Kasumi the honor of standing still long enough to be cleansed. What it did do though was launch a blast at her. Luckily, she was able to shield herself by bringing her wings to bear.

The Senshi stared at the creature with a sizable amount of worry. Living soda machines, they could deal with that. Possessed people though, that was something different. Even Uranus, who was arguably the most militaristic of the Senshi worried at the damage. She may have sacrificed the life of someone for the talismans, but she really didn't want to have to kill someone.

_**"They are not exceedingly difficult to dispatch,"**_ advised a new voice with a distinctly European air. _**"Though not very intelligent, Shades can absorb a great deal of damage without harming the host."**_

"Centauri?"

_**"Yes, I am, as you might say, an inside man. That is for later. Now though, I would advise those fetching young ladies that they may employ slightly more effective tactics. Not Moon though, she could cause the wrong sort of harm."**_

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Ranma as he flew past Kasumi on an arc. He came down on the Shade feet first and bathed the creature in flames.

__"Hey," he announced to the girls around him. "You guys can open up some, just don't go forgetting the person in there."

"And Sailor Moon needs to stay back," added Kasumi as she launched a pair of bolts to try and slow her target down.

With their chains unleashed, to a degree, the Senshi grinned ferally. The Inners began firing off some of their more controllable spells while the Outers worked crowd control, attacking in ways that forced the Shade into the attacks of their fellows.

And through it all, Ranma danced. His mind was taking in the tactics of the Senshi under battle conditions. Each were analyzed, weighed, and shunted for further discussion with the old ghoul. Meanwhile, the rest of his body weaved through the various attacks. Arcs of flame shot from his feet while fiery daggers cut deeply into the Shade's body. Fire came so easy to him; almost too easy. He could see the lines of heat even before they ignited. And they moved where he willed too. Once, he actually grabbed one of Mars' rings out of the air after a miss and hurled it towards the Shade.

It was short work once everyone was unlocked from just simple punches and kicks. Between the Senshi and Ranma, the Shade was beaten to a point that not even its regenerative powers could cope. To insure further immobility, Ranma threw a pair of flaming daggers to pin the thing's feet to the ground. High above, Kasumi, who had been casting spells of healing through the course of the battle, gathered her powers. Every photon of light rushed to her open palms leaving everyone to see a distorted photo negative of reality for a few moments. The only point of normality hovered in Kasumi's slim hand. Then, with a titanic woosh, the ball of light hurtled across the distance between her and the Shade. When it hit, all were blinded by the sheer radiance.

After several seconds, the light faded and everyone's vision returned to normal. Where the Shade once was, there was the still form of a young woman. Seeing her there, a pause seemed to come over the area as each wondered whether or not she still lived. Mercury quickly ran over and scanned the victim for any signs of life. When she sighed happily everyone else started breathing once more.

It was then that they all started to hear the cheers. Nearly a block away, the police struggled to maintain the line and keep the crowd in check. In a way, they were fighting two foes, the crowd and themselves. Everyone had seen the footage from a few days ago, and now those same brave souls had just helped the Sailor Senshi fight another force from beyond. Each and every one wanted to rush up to the couple and offer their tanks and their praise; and maybe even their support.

For the Senshi, crowds of fans were something that they had a small amount of experience at dealing with, Ranma and Kasumi were not used to it though. The only groups of people shouting at Ranma tended to be those who wanted to either kill him or mate with him. Not really knowing what to do, they both just waived at the crowd.

Pluto sighed and shook her head. "Come on you two."

Ranma looked down at the still unconscious girl, "What about her?"

"The paramedics are already on their way. We really don't want to be here though."

Just leaving the poor woman laying on the ground really didn't sit well with Ranma. He knew that Setsuna was more knowledgeable in these matters though, so he differed to her experience. "Okay."

As a group, the Senshi and Ranma jumped to the nearest building. It just so happened to be the very same one that Ranma had used as his final launching point before entering the battle earlier. Immediately upon landing the Senshi took up battle stances at what they saw. Tuxedo Mask, the rose throwing male in the sea of females that constituted the Senshi, was laying face down upon the roof. Standing over him was a fiery headed young man wearing strange clothes and a demon that the man had obviously used to take out the handsomely dressed fighter.

Before they could met out some righteous vengeance, Ranma leapt between the Senshi and Cologne. "Wait! They're on our side!"

The Senshi backed away slightly, allowing their trust of their new allies to rule the day. Still, while trust was all well and good, that did not stop Mercury from scanning the two individuals. It only took a couple of seconds for her computer to finish its task. "They're both human, though the male seems to have tiger DNA mixed in."

"Why did you attack Tuxedo Mask," asked Sailor Moon, her voice vacillating between confusion and outrage.

Cologne looked at that absurdly dressed young woman glaring at her and cackled. "What? Sonny boy here? He tried to attack us while we were watching the battle. The idiot even made a speech on the dangers of being evil."

While the Senshi stared at the elderly woman with a large amount of horror, Ranma's terror was reserved solely for the still form of the man known as tuxedo Mask. "H,h,he made speeches," sputtered the teen.

The elder nodded gravely, clearly thinking the same things as her much younger companion. "Indeed."

Sailor Moon watched the interplay between the two with a hefty degree of confusion. "What's wrong with speeches?"

Both the elderly master and the young prodigy looked at the blonde with disgust. "If you even have to ask that question child, then we have a great deal more work ahead of us than I originally suspected."

"Right," nodded Ranma emphatically. "After the old ghoul and I talk some, you girls are in for some training."

While the more physically inclined of the Senshi took umbrage to the not thinly veiled insult, the rest couldn't help but feel a blanket of dread fall over them as they looked at the positively evil grins on their new allies faces.

000000000

Far, far, away an unusual party was nearing a small port city along the coast of mainland China. For centuries, this town had been the destination for those of the three tribes when they wished to go across the sea and today was no different.

Walking with the group was Victoria of the Joketsuzoku. Her vibrant blonde hair stood out, even in the oddly dressed crowd she was walking with. Looking at her traveling companions, the young woman was of two minds. Di'al had been quite clear that time was of the essence and, had she been traveling alone, Victoria would have probably already been in Japan by now. Though the group slowed her considerably, they did make the trip more enjoyable. Unlike others among her people, the young woman did not see the Phoenix with the same xenophobic distaste. That, of course, was only aided by her companions' more human appearance at the moment. Only Saffron appeared different than an average human, and he held a certain child-like cuteness that appealed to her.

The multitribal march had other advantages too. With the new threat to the valley, cooperation between the Amazons and the Phoenix was desperately needed. Though no one was a diplomat, the discussions they all engaged in led to a great deal of messenger birds being sent back and forth between their entourage and their respective homes. Not more than ten minutes ago, the final bird dropped off a message from both parties saying that the armies of the Phoenix and Joketsuzoku were working together and organizing along the lines their impromptu council had suggested.

"Tell me Victoria," said Saffron from his perch. "You have a greater knowledge of the outer world. When we reach Japan, how do you suggest we proceed?"

Victoria looked at the boy king. "While walking is more than able to get the job done, I suggest we use some of the modern transportation to get there sooner."

Over the course of their journey, the Phoenix contingent had grown to like and trust the young woman. On multiple occasions, she had provided valuable insight into situations. Still, the thought of using those loud, malodorous, contraptions went against the bird people's ideas. Grimacing, Saffron nodded. "Yes, though we are loath to use them, time is of the essence."

After some minutes of thought, Victoria looked at her companions. "Saffron?"

The child king smiled. Of all of those with him, the Amazon was the only one who did not act overly deferential towards him. "Yes Victoria?"

"When we reach Japan, are we going to split up? I know you are looking for something different than I am."

"No," he shook his head. "I do not believe we will be. Though I know that there is another somewhere in Japan, I do not know where. Cologne may have an idea as to his location. The elder will also want to aid us in our struggle against the force that cowed the Musk."

Victoria smiled at the idea that those she had come to think of has her friends were going to be staying around. "You are truly wise Saffron."

"I am only so wise now because I am making up for the severe deficiency of my prior incarnation," he replied with no small amount of self deprecation.

Though she wanted to correct him and tell her lord how great he was, Kiima just smiled and nodded. "_Though it pains me_," she thought, "_hopefully such words will help him become the great leader I know he can be_."

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Author's Notes: There, another chapter for your reading enjoyment. Originally, this was going to be a short chapter about the Senshi revealing themselves to their parents. When it came in at 10 pages or so, I felt that I needed to add a bit more. So I brought in the Nerima crowd for some visiting. A conversation with Pacman convinced me to expand the bad guys some. Initially, I had worked out that there would only be a handful of bag guy generals that the good guys would fight on occasion. Unfortunately, this meant that there would be little help from the Senshi till the end. After a little thought we came up with the Shades as this bad group's version of the monster of the week. It gives the Senshi something that they can actually fight and see improvements.

On that front, I am warning you that there will be some changes to the Senshi. Some of the spell effects, especially on the Outers, will be bammed up a notch. I will be adding a touch more seriousness to the position of Senshi, something that was rather lacking in the anime. Their core personalities will remain unchanged, but the influences of others will help them develop a greater sense of weight. The rest you should see in the coming chapters.

For the names of the parents I actually did some research to make them as true as possible. Unfortunately, Grandpa, and Minako's Mom and Dad were the most I got for them. Only Usagi's parents are actually named. Ami's mother had a name in the live action show, so I used that one. Grandpa uses the name of Tenchi's dad from Tenchi Muyo. I figured one pervert could lend his name to another The Ainos though, I just picked some names, considering there isn't really much to go on for them.

Oh, it was brought to my attention that there was a mistake in the final bit of the last chapter. That has been fixed. Since the changes are not earth shattering in their scope, I will simply be replacing the chapter with the new one.

I thank all of you who have taken time out of your day to read and comment on my stories. I hope you can continue to enjoy them as further chapters come out.

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People.


	8. One Man's Curse

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners. For the purposes of this story those would be Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Chapter 7 – One Man's Curse

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For several days after the battle Setsuna acted as a go-between for the two groups. The Senshi had tried to talk about things one day at lunch, but Ranma quickly shut that down. Schools, in his opinion, had ears and secrets, no matter how obliquely phrased, would always get out if spoken. So Setsuna was forced to play phone tag. Where one of the others may have chaffed at being in such a position, Pluto's Senshi was quite pleased as it gave her ample opportunities to study her new allies.

Quite frankly, Setsuna found herself rather impressed with them. She had gotten to know Ranma somewhat before all this stuff started to happen and, while he was a goodhearted young man, he was not the most equipped human being she had ever met. Simple word play seemed to go right over his head but get him talking about battle and a different Ranma came to the fore. For nearly two hours he and Cologne grilled her about every aspect of the Senshi. Their history, their powers, their tactics, all were taken in by the pair. Little was given away by them either, and whenever she asked their opinions on the Senshi they would tell her that they were still working things out.

Cologne, to be honest, intimidated her. The woman had a way at looking at you that seemed to strip you of everything and evaluate each piece. While the matriarch was far, far, younger than Setsuna, Cologne was more focused. She hadn't spent ages standing guard in a timeless void. No, Cologne had made a great deal of use of her time, working politics and martial arts the same way Setsuna did time.

Every day she thanked Serenity that those two were now working with them. Should the impossible occur, and everything was settled tomorrow, they would still be a welcome asset. Between them, they would hone the Senshi into a mighty weapon. And, perhaps, Cologne could train Usagi in what it meant to be a leader.

Today though, Ranma and company would once again head for the shrine. This time the parents would stay home, their presence wasn't required for a war council. It would be after class, so now was the last time that she could talk to the pig-tailed teen before then.

"Ranma, do we need anything for today?"

Said young man had just grabbed his school supplies and was heading for the door. Hearing the question though, he stopped and turned. "Hmm. Think you can get some practice weapons? And maybe some pads? We need to get them used to taking hits before we get them used to taking hits."

It took a few moments for Setsuna to process the meaning there, eventually though she nodded. "Okay, I can do that. Anything else?"

"Nah. We don't need a lot. Want to get them loose, not all stuffed up like in a dojo."

"Well then I'll have everything ready when you all reach the shrine."

"Great, thanks."

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As his fellow students eagerly flowed out of the classroom to secure every minute of lunch that they could, Ranma slowly trudged behind them.

Ami noticed her new friend's slowness and frowned with concern. "What's wrong Ranma?"

"What?"

"You appear troubled."

From behind the blue-haired genius, Minako nodded, "Yeah. You look like someone stole your play-doh."

"Oh, I'm just worried about that math test after lunch." Of all the subjects, math seemed to be the one that bothered him the most. After a bit of thought he could usually work out the number problems, but when words got involved then his ability to work them out vanished.

"You'll do fine. You did well on the practice test." Along with Kasumi, Ami had been working on bringing Ranma's grades up. In many ways, it was even harder to teach him than it was Usagi. He was far enough behind in certain aspects of his schooling that just getting him up to speed was a challenge.

Before Ranma could thank his friend for her words of encouragement, a terror-filled scream pierced the air. In Juban, such cries usually meant one thing, a Youma attack. With an innate fear of such things driving them, the majority of students began running wildly away from the source. A few though heard the terror and ran towards it.

It was tough going, running against the crowd, but Ranma and his friends managed it. When the teeming masses finally parted before them, the group saw a Shade smashing up some of the tables.

"Quick," called out Ranma, "go find someplace." Trusting that they knew what to do, the pig-tailed teen lept into the air. Had any of the students remained at the scene, Ranma would have appeared to shimmer and vanish as he reached the apex of his jump.

From high in the sky rocketed a person everyone knew. It was the male from tv. He slammed into the Shade trailing fire behind him like a meteor. Using his momentum, the hero rolled away before pushing himself into a standing position with his hand. With two quick punches, he launched a pair of fireballs towards the dark creature. Not missing a beat, he hurled his body behind the bolts, pulling all the heat out of the air as he passed.

Ranma could feel the cold following him like a freight train and it gave him an idea. With ice behind him and fire before, the newfound hero worked quickly to shape the conflicting forces into a familiar pattern. As he reached the Shade, Ranma executed an uppercut and yelled, "Hiryu Shoten Ha!" Had this been Nerima, everyone who heard that would have ducked for cover. Here though, his summoning of the elemental storm only added to the legend he was inadvertently building around himself.

So it was that, when the Senshi arrived at the battle they found a tornado whirling on the school grounds. "H,how did that get there," stuttered Sailor Moon.

"Oh that was me," commented Ranma as he landed beside the pig-tailed teen hero.

Mercury stared at her friend incredulously, "You made that?" Even though she personally dealt with magic on a pretty regular basis, there was something in her scientist's heart that rebelled at the idea of someone creating a tornado out of nothing.

Not realizing the reason for her incredulity, Ranma shrugged. "Its not the biggest I've ever made," he said defensively. "This thing's got almost no ki."

"How long's it gonna last," asked Jupiter as she cracked her knuckles.

He eyeballed his creation for a few moments. "Not long enough. I figure we've got a minute before it dies down. And she's about five minutes out. Get ready to shoot!"

None of the Senshi needed an explanation on who he meant. The all knew that, as of now, there was only one person who could return the innocent within the Shade to its normal form. So, for the next four minutes they would have to hold the beast in place and wait for Kasumi to arrive.

At the first sign of weakness within Ranma's attack, Uranus sent a World Shaking into the dying maelstrom. In her veins she could feel her blood sing the song of battle. As she moved in to cut into the shadowy creature, the blond Senshi felt a rush only rivaled by the act of love. It was almost addictive, this euphoria. Only the knowledge that others were suffering for her pleasure was able to keep her to safer forms of excitement.

Showing that it was not totally mindless, the Shade lept into the air. There it was met by Jupiter who's punch sent electricity crawling across its surface. It shrieked as it fell to Earth, its body writhing in agony from Jupiter's attack. This sent it straight into the very thing it had been trying to avoid. Pain wracked the Shade's body as it tried to stand. The creature had never anticipated such a thing. It was bred to fight, to conquer, and to corrupt. To feel pain was an unwelcome sensation in every way possible.

The Senshi were not done with the Shade though. From above there rained down bolts of light that struck the beast like lasers. Even as its roars echoed throughout the area, one could hear Venus' triumphant cries. Ice and water slammed into its hide courtesy of Mercury and Neptune respectively. Sailor Moon even attempted to put on a show, as she rushed in to give the Shade a few whacks with her wand. Had Ranma wanted to, there would have been no opportunities to attack, seeing as the Senshi were keeping up a constant stream of attacks.

From the sidelines, Ranma watched his new allies with a keen eye. It was quite clear to him what they were doing. Setsuna had told him that she was giving the Senshi updates, so they all knew that he was working out plans concerning them. They were obviously taking this opportunity to put on a show. Quite frankly, they were managing to impress him, if only a little bit. After the last battle, both he and Cologne had seen some rather glaring holes in the Senshi's abilities. Now, it was appearing as if those holes were not as pronounced as they originally though. "Probably they're thrown off balance last time," he theorized to himself.

Not wanting to be completely outdone by the girls, Ranma eventually managed to find a hole or two in which he could land an attack. Even then, he kept it simple; after all a Hiryu Shoten Ha without the spiral was pretty showy in of itself. The whole time though, he kept a mind towards the time. As his internal clock ran down to zero, he felt Kasumi's mind brush against his. "Scatter!"

Acting on instinct, the Senshi followed the shouted command and jumped away from the Shade. As they moved, the girls saw Ranma flying towards it with streamers of fire trailing from his hands. With these flaming bands, he bound the hands and feet of the creature as tightly as he could.

Looking up at the source of its doom, the Shade ceased its struggles. It welcomed its own demise. Death was preferable to the pain of its wounds. A mournful cry escaped the creature just as the white wave hit it, removing the pain and thought forever.

The beam of white light looked, to the outside observer, quite paradoxical. It moved with a steady speed that evoked feelings of great velocity. Yet there was a gentle feeling to the light which made the attack feel much slower than it truly was. Whatever its speed, the witnesses to this battle were much closer to the action than the ones on the street several days ago. So, when the light struck its target they felt wisps of its power waft over them. Later, people would describe it in terms of a religious experience. Some were moved to tears while other could only look on in awe as a universe of truth and beauty opened before them.

When the light faded from his eyes, Ranma found himself left with a young man in his arms. Now the last time they defeated a Shade Setsuna had told them to leave the person. Though he listened at the time, it never sat right with Ranma. If it had been him at the bottom of a crater he would have damn sure liked it if someone stayed with him till help arrived.

Even as the others tried to pull him away, Ranma looked at the nearby crowd. Spotting two faces from his class, he waved at them. "Hey, you two! Come over here."

After a moment or two of discussion on whether or not the man meant them, Naru and Umino ran over. Both teens were on the verge of hyperventilating. He had called them over. Him! One of the legends. And the woman was there too! Even with their experience with the Senshi, they were ill-equipped to adequately deal with them. "H,hi," stuttered Naru.

Kasumi smiled at the nervous couple, "Don't be afraid."

Ranma, being a tad more used to infamy than his love, payed the teen's looks no mind. "Listen, this guy's gonna be fine. Can you two get him to the nurse?"

Even though they were still awestruck, both Naru and Umino stood erect with confidence. "Sure," replied the bespectacled teen with a salute. "We won't let you down."

"I'm sure you won't," beamed Kasumi.

"Right! Let's go guys," exclaimed Ranma to his comrades. With the job finished, his mind was already turning back to lunch.

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The rest of the day proceeded rather smoothly. Throughout the school, there was a constant chittering of discussion revolving around the fight at lunch. Even the teachers were not immune to the buzz. As for Naru and Umino, they were treated as rock stars upon their return to class. Everyone listened eagerly to their experience and marveled at the inevitable embellishments.

Eventually class came to an end and the teeming masses poured out from the school in a great wave. One small island among the throng was maneuvering slowly through it all. The island grew some as Haruka and Michiru joined up after having left their own class. The group chatted idly as they walked towards the exit. Well, except for Haruka who was constantly muttering to herself. Some might have had a mind to ask their friend what was wrong, but they were too concerned with trying to find out what the upcoming training would include.

Ranma pointedly ignored those questions as he steered through the people. There was a prize waiting at the end of this little trip, and he couldn't wait to reach it. Sure enough, as he exited the building, his angel was standing at the school gates waiting for him. "_**Hi.**_"

A giggle echoed in his mind, "_**Hello Ranma.**_"

For a moment he considered walking through the crowd like a normal person, but that thought was quickly dismissed. "_Its about time I introduce them to a bit o' Nerima._" Just the slightest tensing of muscles was all the warning anyone received before Ranma lept into the air. Below him, the pig-tailed teen could hear the gasps of surprise and awe and they sparked a bit of the ol' Ranma pride.

It took two hops for Ranma to reach his love, and as soon as he did the young man wrapped his arms around her. As he captured her lips with his own, there was a chorus of groans from both he males and females that were watching; which, thanks to his little display, was everyone. Neither he nor Kasumi paid them much heed though, the sensations of kissing were just too good.

"Astounding Son-In-Law. I had begun to think that you did not find females interesting."

That little quip _was_ enough to break Ranma from his kiss. His head darted around to spear Cologne with a glare. "What the hell is that suppose ta mean ya Old Ghoul?"

Cologne's cane whipped out and smacked Ranma in the head while her cackle rang out. "You were surrounded by a bevy of beautiful woman on a daily basis yet you never made a move. It is enough to make an old woman wonder, Son-In-Law."

"And what's with that anyway? I thought I got out of marrying Shampoo."

"Is true," replied said female with a touch of sadness. "But Kasumi is sister now. Make you back in same spot." This last bit held not a small helping of gleeful revenge.

"And I'm happy to call her that," chirped Kasumi before her love could say a thing.

Knowing that he was beaten, Ranma just smiled. "Okay. Looks like Usagi and the gang are here."

The group of teenagers stared at their friend and the odd assortment of people gathered around him. All of the girls felt a reflexive desire to transform and vaporize the diminutive creature that they now knew to be a 300+ year old woman. There were some looks of envy directed towards the violet-haired girl in the revealing dress. While others cast an appreciative glance towards the young man they had seen on the roof days ago.

Usagi, the most accepting of souls, just smiled. "Hi!"

Cologne returned the smile with one of her own, "Hello child. I am Cologne, Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku. This is my great-granddaughter Shampoo. And the young man nervously eying your friends is Lime, special envoy of the Musk."

Shampoo raised a fist in salute, "Is good to meet great warriors."

"Um, you might want to keep that thing to yourself," whispered Ami quickly.

The violet-haired beauty looked at the girl with confusion, "Why? Is great honor for womans to be warriors."

"Shampoo, Juban isn't like Nerima," said Kasumi helpfully. "They aren't used to people jumping roofs or breaking through walls."

"Shampoo understand. You is secret."

"Right," beamed Usagi.

"Then perhaps we should consider continuing this conversation at your base of operation," offered Cologne dryly.

Everyone rapidly agreed with the wizened woman and the group began moving towards the Shrine. As they slowly chewed up the distance, Haruka continued her angry muttering. Eventually Michiru looked at her lover, "What is your problem?"

"I just don't get it," she grumbled.

"Get what?"

"They're here for a few days and everyone knows them. We've been at this for years and we're still considered an urban legend. Why?"

A dry cackle intruded upon their conversation. "Oh child! That is just Ranma. Once, I saw him sit perfectly still. Within ten minutes there were two girls hanging off him, a new fighter challenging him to prove their skills, and a rival attempting to attack him. Chaos follows him around like an elephant. Can you and yours say them same?"

Haruka wasn't sure whether or not she believed the old crone, but the way that Ranma and Kasumi didn't react told her to ere on the side of truth. And if it was true, she didn't know if she could handled that sort of notoriety.

"I thought not."

The rest of the trip saw the untransformed Senshi in contemplative silence. They had always thought their lives hectic. Sudden missed dates, all night patrols, the random candy cane monster all had seemed on the razor's edge of sanity. Now it appeared as if there were vast depths of weirdness that they had yet to plumb. And all that insanity was without the magic that they took for granted.

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Eventually, the group arrived at Rei's shrine. The raven-haired young woman was already there from her own school, as was Setsuna. It was the Senshi of Pluto that received a whole range of stares from her fellows. Though they didn't know her well, or all that long, the girls had come to expect artfully designed suits and dresses clothing the woman's tanned flesh. One this day, she was garbed in a loose shirt and a pair of sweat pants. The woman looked less like the mysterious Senshi of time and more like someone who was about to paint her bathroom.

"What's with the getup Setsuna," asked Haruka, whose only interaction with tact was that one time she put one on a teacher's chair.

"I thought I told you all, we're starting our training today."

Usagi's eyes ratcheted open a bit more upon hearing that. "You're training too?"

"Well why wouldn't she," asked Ranma as he cast an approving eyes at the woman's apparel. Though the whistle was a tad much in his opinion.

Said implement was blown a few moments later. "Get changed girls!"

Instead of moving the girls just stared at their friend as if she had grown a second head. Over the last few weeks Setsuna had seemed to change radically. But even those changes did not prepare them for what they were seeing. It was if someone had replaced the woman with some sort of reverse pod person.

Ranma allowed the girls to stare for a few moments before clapping his hands loudly. "Last one changed gets five more laps!"

The prospect of increased work loosened the girl's feet and they were soon clamoring over one another to get inside first. There was some hair pulling and name calling, but eventually the group vanished indoors.

Watching the whole affair, Cologne shook her head. "These are the same people that supposedly saved the world," she muttered.

"They're better when their lives are on the line," said Setsuna with mild embarrassment.

"I should hope so."

Kasumi pulled away from Ranma and shouldered the gym bag she had been carrying. "I'm going to get changed. See you in a few," she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

As his girlfriend sauntered off with an unmistakable sway to her hips, Ranma was blushing so brightly he looked like a tomato. It was one thing for her to do that sort of thing when they were alone, he was just about used to that. Reality was much different in front of an audience, especially Cologne and Shampoo.

The old woman cackled at seeing the male's state. "Ah to be young and in love. It makes my heart glad. Kasumi is a most lucky girl."

Ranma scratched the back of his head nervously, "Thanks."

Shampoo smiled wistfully at the display. She had always wondered what it would have looked like to see him look like he did now. In those imaginings, he had always faced her and stared into her eyes as if she were the only person there. Now she would just have to comfort herself with the idea that at least a good and honorable woman had managed to snag him. Still, such thoughts did not warm her bed at night.

The amazon teen was shaken from her melancholy thoughts by a voice directed her way. "What?"

Setsuna smiled at the teen. "I asked if you were going to get changed."

"Amazon womans always ready to fight. No need change."

"That sounds like a good policy. But what about leisure?"

Cologne chuckled. "Leisure is as important as preparedness. It punctuates the times of battle. Unfortunately children these days fail to see the need for such lulls until they are too old to truly enjoy them."

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Several minutes later the girls poured out of the temple with just as much alacrity as when they had entered. As Ranma watched them gather around before him, he resolved to not enforce the lap threat, at least today. "Okay, line up!"

The Senshi, either by accident or design, fell into place in the order of their appearance. Kasumi, meanwhile, stood beside Setsuna, the only one of the girls she knew. All the young women stared at Ranma with a determined expression. Though they normally preferred more lighthearted affairs, the Senshi knew that now was a time for seriousness.

"Before we get started, there's somthin' you all should probably know. Sets has told me that you all know about my sister, and I bet yer wonderin' where she is." A chorus on nodding heads answered him.

From his ki pocket, Ranma withdrew a thermos; a feat that drew some looks of surprise. "This is filled with cold water. 'Bout a year ago I got a curse." Upturning the water on his head, the cursed man shivered, both at the coldness of the water and the change itself.

Once Jusenkyo had finished molding him into a buxom female, Ranma saw the regular looks of shock on the faces of his friends. His own face gained a measure of surprise of its own when he saw the appraising eyes directed towards his chest via Haruka and, more surprisingly, Ami. "Cold water turns me into a girl," said Ranma in his higher voice.

Kasumi stepped forward and wrapped her arm around her love's slimmer shoulders. "The change isn't permanent, he can go back with some hot water. Ranma still has a male mind, so he still likes girls when he's like this. And I like him too." To prove that statement, the normally reserved Tendo girl caught Ranma's full lips with her own.

The Senshi, who were now long used to Haruka and Michiru's displays, didn't bat an eye at seeing the two girls check each-other's tonsils. They were still taking their time directing all their surprise towards the memory of Ranma the hottie growing a pair of breasts that made them all a tad envious.

As she watched the two women make out, Shampoo felt the last of her remorse fade away. In her pursuit of Ranma, the young amazon had often latched unto Ranma in his female guise. All those times though she had never drawn any sexual attraction to the experience. She would always be on the look out for the nearest source of hot water so that beautiful man would return. Only now did she realize that Ranma required a companion who could love him no matter his form.

A few seconds into the kiss it had gone from a simple showing of commitment and became a more general expression of hormones. Reality came rushing in on the young couple when they heard a polite cough from the Matriarch. With that, they were instantly apart as if the other were on fire. "Sorry," mumbled Ranma.

The ancient woman smiled indulgently. "I know I don't look it, but I was young once too."

"Thanks." Turning to his new friends, he speared them with a determined expression. "We gonna have a problem with this," he asked as he gestured to his feminine form.

"Not if you're gonna keep it up with the camping," leered Haruka. That leer quickly vanished as Michiru's elbow intersected with the blond's stomach.

"Camping," asked Ranma with bewilderment.

Before Haruka could continue with her crude commentary, Setsuna stepped forward. "I think she was referring to to your chest."

Looking down at the bountiful breasts he had been blessed with, Ranma saw that his nipples were currently tenting the still-wet fabric. In a move that we would later deny, the pig-tailed teen let off a high pitched "eep" before wrapping his chest with his slim arms. A quick call of his heat warmed the water enough to trigger a reversion to his natural form.

Even as she heard a disappointed "damn" from her blond comrade, Setsuna smiled at her future in-law. "You know how I feel about your curse Ranma."

Indeed he did. Everyone at the Alexander estate had been especially accepting of his condition, as they called it. The only one that had given him any grief had been Kai, and he had been a she at the time with Cynthia running behind with a dress in hand. "Yeah, thanks."

The others had yet to say a thing by now and it was seriously irritating Setsuna. "Well?"

There was a certain icy menace carried within that one word that broke through Usagi's shock. "Of course we're not going to have a problem," the others echoed that sentiment as well. "Why didn't you tell us about this before Setsuna?"

The woman shrugged. "It wasn't my place."

After casting a grateful nod the woman's way, Ranma stood to his full height. "Okay! Time fer business!" Once the girls had attained something of attention, he once again examined the troops. "As Sets has probably told you, Cologne and we've been talking about you. Got ta say, after that first battle we weren't that impressed; especially with Cape Boy."

That mention triggered something in Ranma. It had been bothering the whole time, only now did he realize the source of the problem. "Where is Cape Boy anyway?"

Usagi raised her hand a tad nervously. This Ranma was completely different from the one she had gotten to know, and quite frankly the difference unnerved her to no end. "Um, he normally doesn't come to meetings."

"Well he does now. Someone call him and tell the pretty boy to get his ass over here."

The leader of the Senshi eeped before running inside quickly. There was no way that she wanted to be on his bad side. When she came back a few minutes later, Usagi saw that Ranma was waiting with an expectant expression. "He's on his way."

Ranma nodded and grunted in approval. "K. As I was sayin' you guys didn't show off that well the first time."

"Whaddya expect? We weren't trying to kill it," said Haruka with not a small measure of ire.

"We thought as much child and took such calculations into account. Still, you all appeared to be woefully under-skilled. Setsuna has made us aware that you do not train at all when you are not actually engaged with an enemy. Such a policy ends today."

Rei harrumphed, "We've done pretty good so far."

"Yeah, today was way better than that first one," said Ranma both in defense of his new friends and to update the elder. He followed that compliment with something his old man had done, "Ya still need work though." The teen grinned as the girl's proud demeanor fell somewhat.

Once again, the elder added her two cents, "That you have fought many battles is not in doubt. You are, according to Setsuna, the sole force defending this planet from outside threats. You do the people you protect a disservice by not training to the fullest of your potential."

Makoto, who actually had some experience with the wider world of fighting nodded. "You know, I never really thought about it like that."

"And it would be prudent to have a set of skills to fall back on instead of waiting for the next boost to our powers," mused Ami.

Hearing her experts on fighting and tactics state their opinions, Usagi reached her decision. "Okay. So what do we do?"

"Train. And then train. And, when yer bones ache and ya want to kill me an' the ol' ghoul, ya train some more."

Cologne saw the paling faces of the girls and sighed. While was true that what Ranma said was their plan, even she could see that these weren't the sort of people that handled such tactics. "There is also the subject of your costumes," she said to distract the girls from their fear.

Minako, who was quite enamored with their outfits, looked at the old woman unhappily. "What's wrong with them."

The Matriarch raised an eyebrow at that. "Surely you are not serious. Those costumes are terribly showy. Any opponent of even moderate intelligence would have several places where they could attack. The vast majority of your arms and legs are left bare to elemental and slashing attacks. Further, those ribbons the lot of you insist upon wearing could be used to tie you up. How they do not get caught on anything is beyond me."

"Pardon me," said Michiru, "but your granddaughter is wearing about the same amount as we do. Does she fight like that?"

Cologne looked at the aqua- tressed woman through slitted eyes. "There are things about Shampoo you do not know. That boulder over there," she said as indicated the stone with her staff, "will anyone miss it?"

Rei looked at the rock in question and categorized it in terms of the wider property design. "No. I don't think we've ever used that."

"Shampoo!"

The perky teen nodded to her ancestor. "Yes elder!" A light leap and Shampoo had crossed the distance between herself and her target. Not needing to scream like pig boy, the amazon slammed her finger into the boulder.

At first, the Senshi had wondered what she could possibly do to such a massive amount of stone. That question was soon answered by the rock exploding as if someone had detonated some sort of bomb. Almost immediately, both Hotaru and Usagi were moving towards the exploded rock and the poor young woman at ground zero. Neither knew the extent of the girl's damages, but they were sure that they were staggering.

The only staggering to be done was on the part of the two healers when they finally laid eyes on their patient. Instead of laying on the ground in a mangled mess, Shampoo was standing happily beside the remains of the boulder. There was not a single blemish on her skin that would suggest that she had been anywhere other than a warm summer's day.

"H,how," gasped Usagi as she spied patches of pristine skin through several places where the girl's dress had taken damage.

"Amazon womans no weaklings. Train hard to have strong, sexy body."

"My great granddaughter has been taught one of our techniques. Along with allowing one to detonate inanimate matter with a single touch, it also hardens the body to absorb phenomenal amounts of damage. Shampoo, let Usagi feel your arm."

As she ran her fingertips over the appendage, Usagi found that, instead of being rough, as such protection would suggest, the amazon's skin was silky smooth. "Amazing."

Shampoo smiled, "No, is Amazon. But Shampoo thanks you."

"Did Shampoo just make . . . a joke," asked a phenomenally surprised Ranma.

"I think so," Kasumi stage-whispered.

Cologne cast a glare in Ranma's direction. "She has more facets to her personality than you let her show, Son-In-Law. But your lack of vision in regards to Shampoo is not why we are here. There is still the issue of those ridiculous costumes."

Haruka nodded, "I think the old woman's got the right idea. I mean I'm all for seeing the others done up like that, but I'd like a decent pair of pants." A quick jab to the stomach from Michiru caused the blond to cry out, "Dammit Michiru! I like you in it too. OW! Quit it!"

"Well," said a Setsuna who was completely ignoring the couple, "there might be something."

"Like what Setsuna-momma?"

Seeing all that all eyes were turned to her, the Time Guardian sighed and slipped into lecture mode. "During the Silver Millennium, we were not the only defenders of the realm. We may have been the most powerful by far, but there were others. Each of our planets had their own militaries that defended home world and lent troops to the overall forces under Serenity's banner."

"So each of you served as supreme commander for your respective worlds. Correct?"

"Right," nodded Setsuna. "The Senshi uniform is actually our honor guard outfits. They were for high-ranking functions. Further, there were enchantments that made it the standard on the Moon. But out in the field, or on our worlds, we had a more combat oriented suit."

"And since we died in the honor guard uniform, it was our default for when we woke," surmised Ami, who was quite surprised that she had never found this in her computer.

"That is the only thing that makes sense. After all, resurrection after several thousand years was not something planned for when they designed the armors."

"But why didn't Luna tell us about the other options," asked Usagi.

"Because," said another voice with a haughty air, "that other armor is not fitting for the sole survivors of the Silver Millennium."

"That's bull, and you know it Luna," exclaimed a more masculine voice. "You hated those things even back then."

As the source of the two voices came into view, Kasumi grabbed hold of her love and forced him to look at her. "Ranma, if you trust me then only look at me. Elder!"

For a moment, Ranma hesitated. This was a new thing for him, having Kasumi act so forceful. But as he felt Kasumi's calm flow over him, the teen began to understand and let himself go with the flow.

Cologne hopped between Ranma and the two talking cats. "Please, do not think me rude, but you both must get out of sight. Ranma has an extreme case of ailurophobia." And seeing that the girl, Ami, looked about ready to translate, the elder shook her head quickly. "Do not even say the word child."

The Senshi looked at one another with confusion. All, that is, except for Setsuna. She looked down at the two advisers and paled dramatically. "Yes. She's not joking. You two need to get out of here. Now!"

Initially, Luna had balked at the old woman's request to leave. When Setsuna backed the outsider though, the cat was a great deal more willing to acquiesce. "Okay. We shall depart."

"Ranma," asked Kasumi as she maintained her hold on her love, "do you have any instant packs left?"

"Yeah," he said as he withdrew a handful. "Why do you need them?"

Setsuna was much quicker on the uptake and snatched two of them from Ranma's hand. "Good thinking. Rei! Grab two sets of shrine clothes, we're going to need them. Be back in a few."

As a confused Rei and moon cat pair walked inside, the other Senshi looked at their new friends. "What was that all about," asked Michiru.

"In deference to Ranma, I will only tell the tale once."

All parties involved waited in relative silence. During the lull, Mamoru showed up and was brought up to speed.

"I don't see why I need any training. I do my job fine."

"I took you down in less than ten seconds," replied Lime, who up till then had been silent. "Trust me, you need training."

Mamoru had selectively forgotten that little incident and turned crimson at the reminder. "I guess my skills could use some polishing."

"Yours more than the rest, sonny. As Setsuna tells us, your most powerful form can only be accessed in times of stress. We shall endeavor to fix that."

"And you have to admit," said Setsuna, "that sword is more effective than roses." Trailing the green-haired woman were two girls, one with white hair and the other were blue, and a stunned Rei.

Spying the new girls, Usagi quirked her head to try and recognize them, "Who are they?"

"It is I, Usagi," said the black-haired girl with a voice that was indistinguishable from Luna's own.

"Luna?"

"I assure you, I am just as surprised as you."

Meanwhile, Minako stared at the other girl, "Arty?"

"Um, yeah," replied the girl with a blush.

"Wow!" The blond Senshi of Venus was feeling seriously conflicted. On one hand her male cat was now a female human. The other hand though, that one was saying that Artemus was now a smoking hot woman that could go man hunting with her.

Hotaru looked between the two humanized cats, "How?"

"Instant Spring of the Drowned Girl," said Ranma with his typical grin, "good fer gettin' rid've perverts and, apparently, furry demons from hell."

Kasumi saw the glares and moved to placate them, "You must understand, Ranma has had some bad experience with . . . those animals."

"In the realm of martial arts there are many unusual and powerful techniques. Just as techniques themselves can have odd applications, so too can they have unconventional training. When he was a young child, Ranma's father discovered one of the most potentially deadly techniques of them all; the dreaded Neko-ken. The manual promised to turn a student into an efficient killing machine without fear or remorse. No opponent would be able to stop a user. Unfortunately, Ranma's oafish fool of a father subjected him to the training without reading the warnings that the technique also drives the trainee hopelessly insane."

Seeing the looks of confusion, she explained. "To start the training, you must dig a large pit and fill it with a great deal of starving felines. Then, you wrap the trainee in food and toss them in. If the trainee doesn't learn it, you repeat until the desired effect is achieved."

"Th,th,that's monstrous," exclaimed an outraged Luna.

"It's not so bad. I mean sure I can't see them demons without freakin'," he said with a shiver, "but least I learned it and used it ta kick the ghoul's butt."

This earned the teen a hit to the head, courtesy of Cologne's walking stick. "And, lest you forget Son-In-Law, that power comes at the cost of your personality. You may have proven safe up until now, but you can not count on that safety in the future!"

"If you ever see Ranma acting like one of those animals, stay away and try to get Kasumi to him. Even the most far of the Nekos have never actually attacked a loved one that close," said Setsuna.

Ranma breathed a deep sigh of relief. Though he had always come out of it with Akane, the prospect of ripping Kasumi to shreds was one that terrified him immensely. "Great! Now line up, the lot of ya! Time fer trainin'!"

000000000

Today, Ranma and Cologne went easy on their new allies, working them for only two hours. The goal was to see what each girl's limits were outside their armors. It came as no surprise to the the two masters that Makoto and Haruka were able to keep up for a long while before finally collapsing. Nor was Ami or Hotaru's performance out of what they had anticipated. And while the other Senshi fell in the middle of the pack, the one girl that surprised everyone was Usagi.

The blond and perky young woman seemed to be channeling the same boundless energy of another bunny. Usagi's friends watched in awe as she performed every task asked of her; albeit with her usual clumsiness. Luckily, by the end of the training, she too had been rendered into a gasping, sweating mess just like the rest of them. Otherwise they may have had to have words with their leader.

"I don't get it," muttered Rei as Usagi finally collapsed to the ground, "how come Meatball Head was able to go so long?"

A low, almost wispy, whine was the only response the came from Usagi.

Ami though, was hard at work churning through data on her computer. "Astounding! She is actually channeling her Serenity power without transforming."

The others glared at their leader. "We we're supposed to use our powers Usagi," groaned Minako. She was not looking forward to the re-test that seemed inevitable now.

"But I didn't know," groaned the girl from where she had fallen.

"She really didn't," affirmed Setsuna. "Serenitys often tap their power without knowing it. Normally they are trained at a young age to prevent that. Usagi never got it though."

With a groan, the eldest of the Senshi stood and transformed. When the light show faded, Pluto was looking far more refreshed than she had before. "It won't do it all, but your armor should act like a shower and a cup of coffee."

Summoning any scraps of energy left to them, the remaining Senshi slowly stood and activated their transformations. As Pluto had promised, with the donning of their armor they felt a new surge of power. Not enough for another training session, but more than enough to keep them going for the rest of the day.

"Now," said Pluto, "I believe there was some discussion regarding our armor."

The woman closed her eyes and said said, "Battle." Before the amazed eyes of her friends, Pluto's fuku began to waiver like a stretch of road on a hot summer's day. When it solidified once more the armor was completely different. Gone was the frilly school uniform and in its place was the garb of some sort of sci-fi Roman general. Both of the large bows had been cast aside in favor of a cloak of the same color held in place by a large brooch fastened at her right shoulder. The white leather body glove now extended up her neck and had a stylized series of silver plates across the front for increased protection. Her arms and legs, which were normally bare, where now incased in cloth the same color of her cloak. Extending straight down to her knees, her skirt kept its dark color but gained armored panels above the fabric while a belt of gold topped it. Even her boots and gloves became more militarized, with silver armor facing the leather.

Looking at her allies and seeing their surprise, Pluto smiled wryly, "Better?"

Everyone, even the Senshi, nodded in the affirmative. "Indeed child. I notice that this form has increased armor. Is that merely cosmetic, or a true increase in your defenses?"

"Basically this is all cosmetic. The protection is about the same. Though this armor does seem to have a higher degree of gravitas."

"She means that people take the armor more seriously, Sailor Moon," added Mercury as she saw her friend's confusion. By now, such explanations were old hat for the Senshi's genius.

Lime looked at the woman's armor with an appraising eye that was detached from his examination of the woman's physical beauty. "You certainly look more like a commander of armies." As a member of the far more militaristic Musk, the tiger male knew how leaders of men should look.

Uranus grinned, "Yeah. And its got some damn pants. Whaddya say to make that work Pluto?"

"Just concentrate on your armor and say 'battle.' Your magic will do the rest."

Though there were a few stragglers, eventually all the Senshi had converted their armors. Where once stood a bunch of girls who seemed to be on the look out for perverts to entice, there was now a group of elite warriors who were more than capable of defending the Earth.

"It is astounding what a change of clothing can do for one's apparent competence."

"Oh I agree. Those new uniforms are simply delightful. But I noticed something," said Kasumi, "you all refer to each other by your planet names while in your armor. Should we do the same?"

"Yes," said Mars. "Our families might know about us, but I don't want the world to know." A chorus of agreements accompanied that statement.

"Guess we should come up w' some names too."

Neptune smiled, "It would help."

"Hey you, just doesn't have that hero ring," smirked Jupiter.

"I know," exclaimed Venus, "we'll call you Fire Guy and Angel Soft."

The Senshi groaned at their friend's suggestion. Of the voices, Artemis' was the loudest "Seriously, you need to stop trying to name things."

That instigated a whole discussion between the Senshi as to what would be good names. For Ranma there were debates as to the merits of Firestorm or Inferno. Meanwhile there were passionate arguments in whether Kasumi should use Angel or, the equally awesome, Lady Light.

As the friends discussed things that really didn't concern them, Ranma looked over at his love. "How does Phoenix and Cygnus sound to you?"

Kasumi beamed, "That sounds wonderful! Do you think they will mind?"

_**"You may use our names,"**_ spoke the voice of Phoenix to the young Avatars.

_**"And when you meet the others, you will know their names as well,"**_ added Cygnus helpfully.

With that minor nuisance out of the way, Ranma whistled loudly; throwing a bit of ki into it as well. He grinned at the startled jumps of the Senshi. "Yeah . . . we're gonna go with Phoenix fer me and Cygnus fer Kasumi."

"That's great Ranma," exclaimed Sailor Moon happily.

"I take it that those are the names of those beings you mentioned," surmised Mercury.

"Uh yeah."

"Perhaps its time to tell us all about this war you seem to be fighting," said Pluto. Though she knew some of the particulars, it was maddening to not have the full picture.

Kasumi nodded, "Yes, I think you are right."

Ranma shrugged, "K. Though you guys might want to change and find a place to sit. This is gonna be a long one."

The Senshi had long forgotten that they were transformed and quickly banished their armors. With the restoration of their training attire, the girls realized that, while their bodies may have been cleaned by the transformation, their clothes remained soiled.

Fingering the sweaty clothes with distaste, Michiru spoke up, "I am going to need a shower before I do anything."

Upon hearing the sounds of agreement from the other girls, including Kasumi, Ranma sighed, "Okay! Go get yer shower."

"Shampoo and I will prepare some refreshments then."

"Shampoo happy to help Great Grandmother!"

Only the promise of something to eat did anything to brighten Ranma's mood. Even then, it wasn't that much brighter because there would be no bathing with Kasumi, something that he had grown to love greatly. So it was that the young man walked inside most morosely.

000000000

After what seemed like, to Ranma, an eternity, a cavalcade of curvaceous cats came careening out of the furo. He didn't blame them for their zeal, the smells of Cologne's cooking were positively mouth watering. Even Kasumi was running and giggling with the lot of them, something he had never thought to see from her; at least among so many others.

Sliding in beside her man, Kasumi sighed deeply. "Mmm, much better."

"Don't know what smells better," said Ranma as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "the food or you." Before Kasumi could reply, his stomach weighed in with its opinion on the matter rather loudly.

"Ah, once again the great beast makes you look the fool, Son-In-Law."

Kasumi giggled, "But that's what makes him who he is," she said as she snuggled into his hold.

The Senshi, especially the younger members, were a rather romantic lot. Seeing the couple so open with one another was positively delightful to them. Even Setsuna was thrilled, though her happiness sprang more from her prying into their lives with the Timegates. If any two people deserved such a quiet, loving, moment it was them.

"Food ready," chirped Shampoo as she carried a steaming tray of food with her.

"Indeed," said Cologne as she too had a tray, this time perched upon her staff, "do enjoy."

Though some of those at the table had preferences that normally dictated different foods, there was no one that day that even thought about complaining. With the food came conversation; simple, everyday, talk that was amazing to both Kasumi and Ranma. They were slow at first to include themselves into the fray with obvious masters of the speaking arts. Eventually they were full participants, laughing and joking with the rest.

Soon enough the stores of food began to run low. Having been in many a council, Cologne knew that this was the right time to continue their prior conversation. "I believe you promised us all an explanation as to what is transpiring."

Ranma sat up, "Oh right. I did say that. Well I guess it all started when Kasumi and I fell asleep on the roof . . ."

From there, the pig-tailed teen and his beautiful companion went through their story making sure to leave nothing out. They detailed their first meeting with Cygnus and Phoenix in their beautiful realm among the stars. The couple recounted the story of Draco and how he paid the price for trying to do good. A recount of the Incident, while hardly necessary, provided the Senshi with some vital information regarding their foe.

With wide eyes the girls listened at how the most gentle of souls had been twisted to suit Chaos' dark desires. Though they knew that there was a wider world which could spawn threats, none had guessed just how wide it all was. They now knew exactly what the Shades were and why they were created. And more importantly, they learned why Setsuna could not see things through the Gate.

But the one aspect of their story that truly shocked and dismayed the relatively sheltered girls was the part about the Musk. Though they were the sole 'survivors' of a civilization whose name was lost to the sands of time, multiple resurrections had dulled the memories of the Moon Kingdom's fall. Lime though made the Musk's plight real. The pain in his words as he detailed the devastation of his home tore at their hearts. When they heard that there were people who, at that very moment, needed their help, many of the Senshi wanted to drop everything and go to China to help the civilians. But even the cooler heads were dismayed to hear that the assault would have to wait for the other Avatars to arrive.

". . . What I don't get, is why we need the Senshi," said Ranma at the end of the tale.

"Ranma," exclaimed Kasumi.

"No child, he's right." The old woman smiled at the Senshi, "As impressive as your abilities may be, you must admit that they are not as effective in this instance."

The Senshi were less than happy with this and were quite vocal with their displeasure. Before the complaints could become a roar, Ami spoke out, "They may be right."

"What do you mean Ami? We kicked that Shade's butt," said Makoto fiercely.

"Yes, we did. Yet we expended too much energy in the process. While we used our older, less power intensive spells, the physical drain from all the running and dodging we did made up for that. If Kasumi hadn't arrived when she had, we would have started to seriously feel the effects of fatigue. Additionally, should we attempt to combat a Shade without them, we have to way of defeating it, shy of waiting for Kasumi to show."

"And other than physically running one of them down, we have no way to contact them," added Setsuna.

"So, like I said, do we really need you guys in the fight?"

Suddenly a cool breeze washed over the room and cooled the passions of all involved. _**"They are needed, Ranma.**_"

Though it was clearly Cygnus's voice, Ranma didn't feel the light pressure on his mind her voice normally produced. Instead, Kasumi's own presence felt muted and distant, "Kasumi?"

Kasumi's normally warm brown orbs were replaced by two glowing points of the purest light. _**"Fear not Ranma. Kasumi allowed me to make use of her body for a short time."**_ Seeing Ranma calm down, Cygnus turned her calm countenance towards the Senshi, _**"Hello. I and my brethren have long watched your trials. I hope that you will accept my compliments on your performance so far."**_

Usagi was awed at meeting an ancient being dedicated to good but she was able to respond, "T,thank you."

_**"No thanks are necessary when praise is due. We are also aware of your recent discussion with regards to the Senshi's effectiveness." **_

"Pardon me great one," said Cologne reverently, "was our analysis wrong?"

_**"No Cologne of the Joketsuzoku. The facts, as you know them, seriously hampers the Senshi's capabilities."**_

__Michiru caught the phrasing of that statement, "Does that mean there are facts we don't know?"

_**"Very astute. In the long twilight struggle which lies ahead I see a need for you and yours. Perhaps not now, or even soon. One day though, our Avatars will require the aid of the Senshi."**_

"But what about me," asked Usagi plaintively, "I can't do anything."

_**"Child of Serenity, there is truth in what you say. Just as our foe is alien to us, so to are you. There is a way you may help though."**_ Cygnus-Kasumi held out her hand. Above it a glowing light swelled into being. _**"This is purity unchecked by either Chaos or Order. As my Avatar, Kasumi wields it with impunity. It is in my purview to give a fragment of it to you."**_

Suddenly the shifting light drew inwards to form the shape of an elongated crystal. _**"Usagi Tsukino, take this and use it to help those my brethren have corrupted."**_

__Usagi reached out and touched the crystal. As soon as her slim fingers touched it, the shard seeped into her hand, leaving a warm feeling in her digits. "Wow!"

_**"When the time comes, you will know how to call upon its power. Now I must bid you all farewell. We will be watching."**_

The woman lowered her head. When she raised it a moment later the glow was gone and all that remained was Kasumi. "My, that was interesting."

In his mind, Ranma felt his love's return. The warmth of her thoughts wrapped around his own in a way that he had been desperately missing. In fact, he had not been aware at how much he had missed her until he got her back. "Are you okay?"

Kasumi reached up and cupped her heart's face. "I'm fine Ranma. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Maybe we should call it then," said Makoto.

The Senshi pretty much agreed with their friend. While their armors _had_ lifted a great deal of the fatigue from training, some quiet time was definitely appealing. One by one, the conclave gave their thanks and said their goodbyes.

As he moved away from the gathering, Mamoru found his way blocked by the tiny elder. "Yes? What can I do for you?"

"It is more what I can do for you sonny. Setsuna has told me about your other form and the difficulties you've been having with it."

The tall male sighed, "I've tried, but there seems to be a block or something. It only goes away when Usagi's in real danger."

Cologne stared at the man in a manner that looked as if she was staring through him. "Yes. I see several knots." Suddenly that distance faded and she smiled, "My people posses a great deal of experience with the mind arts. Over our three thousand years there have been many who have received mind wounds such as yours. We have become most adept at healing them."

Mamoru felt a rush of excitement. For so long he had felt incomplete, as if there was something being withheld from him. To hear that a cure existed so close made him want to reach down and hug the tiny woman. "Can you fix me now Elder?"

"No child. Though it can be harmed with alarming ease, the mind is much, much, harder to fix. It will require an intensive regimen of meditation, acupressure, herbal treatments, and multiple deep chi exercises. I warn you, the process will not be pleasant or quick, but if you are willing to proceed come by my store tomorrow and we can get to work."

The male took hold of the small slip of paper he had been handed as if it were the most precious thing in the world. "What about my training," he asked absently.

"For now, Ranma and I have agreed that getting your transformation is of greater importance. Ranma and Lime should prove sufficient to train the others for now."

000000000

Standing before the Alexander front door, Minako felt more nervous than she had in a long while. When the group had parted for the day, the others had gone to their homes or wherever. The blond on the other hand had followed Ranma and Kasumi at a distance. If the couple knew of her presence they never let on, and she didn't really want them to know she was there.

There was someone else at the Alexander home that she had a mind to meet. Now, all Minako had to do is work up the courage to ring the bell. "Come on Minako," said the beauty as she paced back and forth on the front step, "just because he's a guy doesn't mean he's going to be like the others. I mean, you two talked, for what? An hour? Two? And did he ever stare at your chest? Heck, you stared at him more. So why are you acting scared?"

Had any of her friends been there to see her dithering, they would have wondered what was wrong with Minako. In the past, they had witnessed her friend stalk and ensnare many a male with the skill of a seasoned hunter. Now, it was as if the blond was a rank amateur, afraid of the whole affair. Even Minako knew that something was different this time. All of her usual instincts were operating in reverse. Where she would normally surge forward, the Senshi of Love moved cautiously.

After a minute or two more of pacing, Minako stood straight and slapped herself in the face with both hands. "Okay Minako! Go go go!"

With that boost of self confidence, the blond Senshi of love reached out and rang the doorbell. Unfortunately, that act stripped a great deal of her previous zeal and the tiny lizard brain, that guided humanity's fright, was positively screaming at her to run.

Before the teen could succumb to her baser desires, the door opened to reveal a member of the Alexander's household staff. "Yes? May I help you?"

Proving, once again, that her mouth and her brain sometime didn't communicate in the same language, Minako blurted out, "Marcus!" Immediately the turned a deep crimson. She tried, with more than a little difficulty, to regain her composure. "I,I'm here to see Marcus. Is he in?"

The man smiled at the girl, having seen many a flustered teen over the years. "I will go and get him. You can come in while you wait."

Minako accepted the man's offer and nervously entered the body of the beast. As she stood in the Alexander foyer, the blond felt a sense of warmth that was removed from the rather sterile home of most Japanese. For her, who had spent several years in England and visited those home, the Alexander's warmth was a breath of fresh fish.

As she was examining one of the family photos, Minako heard someone call her name. And just like that, every single ounce of control she possessed just simply vanished. With a wide smile, the teen proudly said, "Grrrbkly hyyrgk."

Marcus looked at the madly blushing young woman with a mixture of amusement and confusion. "Um, hi . . . you okay?"

"Y,yeah. Do you? That's to say it is completely up to you. I wouldn't want to seem like I was pressuring you into something. But would you like to go out? With me." Though she had managed to speak the words, Minako wanted to bang her head against the wall. Even to her ears, she sounded phenomenally stupid.

The Alexander male looked at the young woman with amusement. He remembered her from the last time she had been in his home. It had the day of the Incident and while he had talked to all the girls Setsuna had introduced them to, for some reason he and the blond kept ending up conversing with one another. Marcus had hoped even then that he would see her again, she had a way of mangling phrases that he found quite endearing. "Sure, that sounds good. Just let me go get something."

While Marcus ran off Minako was unable to contain herself. With silent cheers, she lept and danced about the foyer. After her little display earlier, she had been sure that he would tell her to take a bike. His acceptance of her invitation made the Senshi of Venus use scrap of self-control to inhibit the impulse to sing. Luckily, for her self respect, Minako had enough presence of mind to notice someone approaching and ceased her merriment before anyone witnessed it.

The thing that Marcus needed to get was a long, black, trench coat. As he slid it on, he smiled boyishly at Minako. "Ready?"

She eyed the coat even as she returned the smile, "Sure am. Nice coat."

He looked at one of his coat's arms absently, "This ol' thing? Yeah, I got it in the States. Its comfortable."

"It looks like it," said Minako as she rubbed the material between her slim fingers.

"So where to first?"

"Oh, I don't know. How 'bout we just walk around and see if anything pops out at us?"

Marcus nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

000000000

Long after the conclave had parted to go their separate ways, Lime of the Musk found himself standing outside the Tendo compound. In the days since his arrival, the dwelling had become his de-facto home. Though nothing like the Musk citadel, or the home he had been raised in, the place possessed a simple charm that appealed to the tiger man greatly.

As he stepped into the main structure, Lime announced his presence, "I'm back."

Moments later, the soft patter of feet could be heard approaching, "Hey Lime! How'd the meeting go?"

Lime frowned, "Not as good as I hoped, but better than I feared. How 'bout you Nabiki? Have the old men given you any problems?"

Nabiki smiled and shook her head, "Nope. Not since you kicked their butts." The strong young man had surprised her there. After the trip to see Ranma, the old goats had stepped up their odious behavior; taking their anger out on an easy proxy. Just as she was reaching the point where she would have told them to go screw themselves if they really wanted to join the schools, Lime had interceded on her behalf. The young warrior had ripped into the two masters with a potent savagery. By the time he had finished with them, neither wished to offend Nabiki further.

"Good," smiled the young man. "I'm glad they've seen the error of their ways." Though most people thought them monsters in their treatment of women, most of those stereotypes were untrue. Women, especially those who were born and not created, were a precious commodity and were to be treated well so they could bear strong sons. It was in their treatment of prisoners that caused many a negative comment. And given that those detainees were often Amazons, it came as no surprise that the Musk had an exceedingly poor reputation.

"Its more like they've seen the error in pissing you off," she giggled. She had never had someone fight for her honor; most people just assumed she had no honor to start with. To have a protector, her own personal knight-errant, was something of a pleasant surprise. _"Got to wonder why Akane never liked having Ranma as her own shield,"_ she mused.

Lime joined his companion with some laughter of his own, "Better than nothin' I guess." He enjoyed this, just being with a female. At home, the two genders were isolated to ensure the strength of the men. Now that he had gotten to know the other sex, Lime was beginning to doubt the wisdom of that doctrine.

Eventually, the tiger man's merriment faded. "How is he," he asked as he cast a worried gaze to the upper levels of the structure.

"He's better. Mint managed almost an hour of consciousness while you were gone." It really amazed her that Cologne had managed to do so much for the fox man. When Lime first arrived, Mint had been at death's door; a strong gust of wind being all that was necessary to push him into the next life. While he was much better now, Lime's friend still had a long way to go before he was completely healed.

"Good, good. I'm goin' up to see him."

"Want some company." The question sounded odd to her ears. For so long she had not cared for others in any meaningful way. There was something about Lime, possibly the way he had shown up on her doorstep, that spoke to her though. In a way, she was continuing to act as her old self. Lime was a tool, an aide. Only this time the tool was one in her long climb back into the light, and that, more than anything made the usage seem not so bad.

He shook his head but smiled, "No thanks. I should do this on my own."

"Okay, just tell him to stop trying to grope me. He's getting as bad as Happosai."

Having heard tales of the perverted founder of Anything Goes Martial Arts, Lime shuddered at the thought of his friend being so afflicted. "I'll make sure of it."

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"Minako, you really don't have to," pouted Marcus as he watched his friend carry the pin to the cashier.

The blond waved him off, "Pish tosh. I've been looking for something this whole time to get you. So you're not gonna pout your way out of this." 'This' had started when, shortly after leaving the Alexander home, Minako saw a necklace with the symbol of Venus set into a gold heart. Almost immediately she began to gush over the piece of jewelry. Never though did she imagine that Marcus would, in the quiet way of his, just up and buy it for her.

After that little piece of generosity, Minako proceeded to drag Marcus through a plethora of stores and shops. Nothing in any of those places ever jumped out at her companion and soon she began to despair. Eventually though, just as she was readying herself to call it a night, Marcus made a noise of discovery.

Marcus' discovery was a pin about half the size of a teenager's palm. It was a dark turquoise gem surrounded by two stylized figures, one of silver and the other of gold. As soon as he had laid eyes upon it, Minako knew that it was the one. He just stared at it for a good while with a deeply intent expression. It was almost like when she occasionally found herself staring at her Senshi wand.

Seeing as Minako would not budge from her conviction to purchase the pin, Marcus ceased his complaints. "Thank you. Normally I'm not one to make a great deal of purchases for myself."

Her smile could have lit up half of Japan, "Well all that means is that you need someone around to buy things for you!"

"You seem to think about that a lot," he mentioned conversationally.

She tilted her head, "About what?"

"Love, pairing people up, whether or not couples will last," shrugged Marcus.

Minako thought back on their conversations that day. Though they had talked about a lot, somehow she seemed to continuously bring the discussion back around to those very subjects. "I don't know. I guess its the same reason I picked out this necklace."

Marcus nodded, "That makes as much sense as anything else."

"That's the spirit." After the cashier handed her the receipt, Minako turned to face Marcus. "Now come here." When he did as she commanded, the blond took her purchase and attached it to the right breast of his coat. Nodding at the tight fit, she smoothed out any wrinkles and surveyed her handiwork. "There! That looks great."

The Alexander male looked at himself in the nearby mirror. "You sure?"

"Mmm hmm. You look dashing. Like some sort of protector."

"I guess I am going to have to find myself a damsel to save then, huh."

Minako hooked her arm through his and smiled up at her companion, "In this town, the damsels are closer than you think."

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_"Everything looks so big,"_ thought Luna as she sat in Usagi's room. For as long as she could remember, she had been a cat in the employ of the royal family. All of her memories, both the snippets of the past and the fullness of the modern era, were from the position of a cat. A short while ago though, she tasted from the well of humanity and found it good.

Though it was not for long, Luna found her experience as a human to be deeply enjoyable. There was something amazing about being more than half a foot tall. She was treated differently as a human, like she was more of an equal. Additionally, the blue-furred cat found that the males present at the meeting looked especially attractive while she was human.

Beneath it all though, there was something else to the experience. When those cursed waters cascaded over her form, changing her body dramatically, it was like she had found something important. New windows of sensation and experience opened upon the world, yet strangely it had felt as if she was returning to some prior reality. It felt right, walking on two legs.

In her foolishness, she cast aside that rightness in favor of the routine and changed herself back at the end of the meeting. Oh how her soul did cry out at that injustice. As her body shrank, some of that water was bitter tears of loss. She was a cat again. And unless she was going to meet with Ranma again, a cat she would stay.

"Its no use cry over spilt milk," she sighed.

"What's that Luna," asked Usagi as she stepped into her room. The girl was dressed for bed, the exercises of earlier having left a deeper impression upon her than the other Senshi. In her hand, the blond carried a glass of water; something to sip in case she awoke during the night.

"Oh nothing. I was just thinking about the meeting."

"So do you still think that Ranma and Kasumi are some evil group that have brainwashed Setsuna," she asked wryly.

Luna blushed so deeply that it was visible through her fur. "No. I realize that such beliefs were foolish. Though you must admit, our lives up till now have warranted a measure of caution."

"No, you're right. Though I think you might have taken it a tad too far this time." Seeing her friend shrink even deeper into herself, Usagi smiled and started moving towards Luna. "Come on, you need a hug." As she moved to embrace her advisor and friend, Usagi accidentally knocked her water off the desk.

Like so many times before, the water landed on Luna. Even as the cat growled in dismay as the cold liquid flowed over her, she felt something else. Suddenly the whole world around her shrank as her body tingled in a familiar fashion. To test her hypothesis, Luna looked at her paws. Immediately she felt a massive surge of both happiness and confusion.

Instead of dark hair and claws, there were slim fingers with elegantly manicured nails. A look down at the rest of her revealed a veritable savannah of pink flesh dotted by the round formations of a pair of very human breasts. They were proof. Proof that she was human once more. And proof that wishes do come true.

"I,I'm human." There was awe in her words as she continued to examine her body.

It was all Usagi could do to keep from falling over. For the second time that day, Luna was a full-fledged member of the human race. And this time she got to see the cat swell outwards while the dark fur was eradicated by the oncoming humanity. The transformation was, in many ways, more astounding than Ranma's. Even still, though she had witnessed the change first hand, a part of Usagi doubted her eyes, "L,Luna?"

Though a part of her wanted to get up and start dancing with joy, her more practical side wanted to know what the heck was transpiring. "What's going on Usagi? I thought the packet was a temporary one."

Usagi heard the worry and fright in her friend's voice and did something unexpected. Instead of freaking out, her face became like steel. Immediately she grabbed the blanket from her bed and wrapped the naked woman in it. After that the blond reached for her communicator and pressed Mercury's button.

The com screen was filled with static for a short while before being replaced by Ami's concerned face. "What's the matter Usagi?"

She pointed the device at the bundled form of the former cat and said, "This."

"Is that Luna?"

Luna waved at the screen with a weak smile on her face, "Hello."

"I accidentally spilled some water on her and bam, instant girl."

Through the screen the two girls saw the genius girl's eyes grow wide at that piece of news. "Oh dear. I'll be there in a few minutes. See if you can have Setsuna get ahold of Ranma. He's the closet thing to an expert we have on Jusenkyo."

Usagi nodded firmly, the steel having never left her features, "Right. See you soon."

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A series of explosions rang out through the Alexander game room. In there wake one could hear mad cackling, "Ha! I've got you now Ranma!"

Though he was lo to admit it, Ranma had to silently agree with his opponent. The man was masterful in his tactics and approach. Everything he tried just seemed to delay the inevitable. Feints and counters were laughed at and batted aside by a master of the craft. Not even the greatest of the Neriman battles could have prepared him for this conflict.

Finally, as the last of his allies were annihilated before his eyes, Ranma had to admit defeat. "Okay Kai. You've won."

Kai Alexander smiled triumphantly at the sight of Ranma's defeat. "Bout time you said it. I swear, its like you've never played a video game before."

"I haven't," replied the defeated teen as he placed his controller on the floor. "I'd heard of it back in Furinken, but they weren't that popular."

Even with that explanation, Kai cast a dubious towards his cousin. "Still, I'd thought that you'd try it at least once. I mean, you've been everywhere."

"Yeah, and I was learnin' and practicin' The Art the whole time," said Ranma with a touch of irony.

"Oh," he said lamely.

Before either male could speak, a third voice made itself known, "Ranma?" Though it was not loud, the voice could have only come from one person. Monica Alexander had a way of speaking that seemed to make everyone stop and listen.

Immediately Ranma was up and at the girl that he was rapidly seeing as a younger sister. "What's up?" Though she seemed to speak the most to him and Kasumi, it still wasn't all that much. In that time he learned that there was often a vision lurking just around the corner.

"Setsuna is going to ask for your help soon."

He nodded, his senses on high alert, "Should I wake up Kasumi?"

"No. Its not like that. But Artemis will probably need your advice sooner than later."

Just the Setsuna came running up, "Ranma! We need to get going, something has happened to Luna." Though most of the Time Warden's mental faculties were consumed with Luna's current humanity, a portion was directed towards joy. For so long she had been forced to skulk through the shadows, using euphemisms and innuendo to rally the Senshi. Now that the family knew about her duties, it was so liberating to be able to just say when they needed to get going.

Having Monica's warning allowed Ranma to act all knowing this time. So instead of panicking, he simply nodded, "Okay. Let's go." The young man didn't stand immediately though, choosing instead to hug the young girl, "Thanks kiddo."

The young seer giggled and returned the embrace whole heartedly. "You're welcome."

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By the time Setsuna and Ranma made it to Usagi's house Ami had already been there for several minutes. The girl's fingers flew across the keyboard of her tiny computer as she ran scan after scan to determine just what was happening to Luna. As usual, the genius had several theories but was unwilling to divulge any of them until receiving more data.

Luna meanwhile was feeling rather exposed. Even though Usagi had graciously leant her some clothes to wear, all the scanning and constant looks were becoming aggravating. What was not helping was that, while she shared most measurements with Usagi, their chests were radically different. The greater size of her bosom in relation to the blond made all of the shirts quite uncomfortable.

So, when Ranma finally showed up, Luna's aggravation had divested her of a great deal of her diplomacy. "Just what did you do to me," she growled menacingly.

On the trip there, Setsuna had been rather tight-lipped on the topic of what was wrong with Luna. She had only taken the time to assure him that there was nothing seriously wrong with her. Seeing the transformed cat told Ranma that he would have to have a conversation with the tanned woman on what constituted seriously wrong in his world. "Please tell me you had an extra pack of the instant."

Usagi's head shook so fast that it sent her ponytails flying. "No! We were just talking and I knocked over a cup of water."

"Dammit," he groaned.

"Luna's magical fields are showing some odd activity that is proving hard to isolate. I was thinking that since you have the permanent version of the curse, I could scan you to determine a baseline."

"Go ahead."

As she set her machine to work, Ami immediately found that a great deal about Ranma was barred to her. One thing stood out quite clearly to her though. The Jusenkyo curse, if she was one to anthropomorphize something, seemed to be preening under the gaze of the Mercury computer's scanners. Every aspect of it was laid out for her and it was more complex than anything she had seen before. "Astounding."

Ranma opened his mouth to make an inquiry but was halted by Usagi. "Don't even try. When Ami get's like this she'll never hear you."

"Sounds like me when I'm tryin' to learn a new move."

Usagi giggled at the thought of Ranma sitting still for any amount of time. He was as unruly as he name said, it was endearing in its own way. "You think about that a lot?"

"Not as much since I got my family, but yeah."

"If that is you not thinking about the art all the time Ranma, I would have hated to see you back in Nerima," quipped Setsuna.

"Whydya think I was always sleepin' in class," he shot back with a grin.

"Astounding," exclaimed Ami suddenly, "the two curses, in respect to strength and duration are, point-for-point, identical. Given the transitory nature of the instant curse, there should be some variance, yet I can not find any."

Like a pair of twins, Ranma and Usagi stared blankly at the excited young woman. "Huh," they chorused.

"For some reason, Luna's curse is the same as yours Ranma," translated Setsuna.

"Damn! Its Jusenkyo!"

Now it was Ami's turn to lack comprehension. "What do you mean?"

"That place is a real bitch. It'll let ya walk right inta a pool no problem. But it'll not let ya find the cure a foot away. I guess whatever magic ya got let Jusenkyo grab hold of ya as tight as the rest of us."

Ami nodded as she re-examined her findings, "Yes, that is a most astute assumption."

Luna's porcelain skin lost all of its remaining color. "Are you telling me that I am stuck with this dreadful affliction?"

"Sorry, but I think yer gonna have to deal with it."

Gently, Usagi wrapped her arms around the transformed cat. "It'll be okay Luna, you just wait and see. You can go all over the place now, like the movies or the arcade," she said brightly. As always, the silver lining of the clouds in Usagi's world was topped with hot fudge and sprinkles.

"Least ya kept yer gender," offered Ranma. "I mean, think about Artemis."

The rest of the room's occupants looked at one another with pale faces. Even Setsuna, who was deeply tanned, managed to drop a few shades on the color wheel. In all the confusion surrounding Luna's return to humanity, they had completely forgotten about the white-haired tomcat that had undergone the same procedure.

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As Minako crossed the threshold of her home, she felt as is she were walking on air. In her mind's eye, the blond could almost see fluffy clouds with winged children dancing upon their surface. There was even music heralding her presence, though that may have just been her humming. Only unicorns were absent from her mental plains.

Her time with Marcus had gone better than she could have hoped. The young Alexander male proved to be everything she had ever wanted in a man. He was smart, confident, and witty. He treated her with kindness and compassion. As she looked into his eyes, Minako could see that he was looking at her, and not her parts. All this he had done before, but that was around his family. Now she knew that Marcus was the same man, no matter who he was around.

Lightly, she danced through her home, seeking her loving parents. They would want to know that she was home and that she had had a good time. It did not take her long to find her mother and father and when she did the celestial celebration became a dreadful dirge.

Shinji and Sachiko Aino were huddled together on the couch. Their embrace, instead of being one of love or comfort, was the type that two people share when they are trying to escape terror. Of the two, Sachiko was the worse off, her eyes were wide and unseeing. Shinji held his wife's shuddering frame tightly as he stared out like he had seen something totally incomprehensible.

"Mom! Dad," she exclaimed worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Slowly, Shinji's head turned to look at his daughter, "Ar,ar,ar," he stuttered.

"Artemis?"

He nodded and pointed a shaking hand upstairs.

Running as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels, Minako rushed towards her room. As she moved, her mind supplied all sorts of horrible imagery as to what could have happened to her oldest friend. What she really did see when she reached her room the blond had never expected.

In front of the mirror that backed her closet door, a naked girl was dancing as she looked at herself in it. As she gyrated back and forth, the girl's white hair danced around. Throughout it all the girl was singing, "I'm too sexy for my butt, too sexy for my butt."

"ARTEMIS?"

Artemis froze as if someone had poured liquid nitrogen on her instead of cold water. With wide eyes the transformed cat looked at her friend reflected in the mirror. "Minako? Tell me something."

The blond took a hesitant step towards the girl, "Yeah?"

"Am I too sexy for my butt?"

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Author's Notes: And there you have it kids, the end of another chapter. To be honest, this one got away from me really early on. I mean I had totally planned on introducing another Avatar with this chapter and off one of the midbosses. But then the whole thing with the Senshi officially meeting Ranma and starting their training took a bit. On top of that the Artemis scene popped into my head and refused to go away.

Some good things did occur in this chapter though. The Senshi now have a way to really contribute in a positive manner and they have been introduced to a much wider world. Speaking of the Senshi, we now have the introduction of their new outfits.

Cygnus' more formal speech is a result of the expectations of those she is interacting with. Since the Senshi expect a wizened being to act and speak a certain way, she does so.

About the Musk. In the manga, all we know of them is what we learn from seeing the three Musk; Herb, Lime, and Mint. Of the three, Herb is a royal and thus, by necessity in Ranma 1/2, a dick. The other two act rather similarly towards women as the idiots in the Hentai Horde. As far as I am concerned, three is not a sufficient sample size in order to assert that the Musk are a group of raping bastards. For the purposes of this fic, I am going to paint them more on the lines of the people of Togenkyo. While the did kidnap women, they seemed to be rather nice to them after that. Of course, I understand that we don't see a lot of them either, but it is a damn sight more than the Musk.

Just so you guys know, there is no deeper meaning to the pin Marcus found. He isn't going to suddenly become anything cool. Its just another sign that I like Babylon 5 too much.

Yes, I cursed the cats. The mainly reason was because I thought of that scene with Artemis and just had to put it in. Later, as I combed the wiki, I decided to use the experience as a catalyst for allowing them to regain their voluntary transformations.

Until next time,

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People.


	9. Tofu ken

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners. For the purposes of this story those would be Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Chapter 8 Tofu-ken

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Of everyone in the small band, not a single soul looked upon the vast field of concrete and steel that is Tokyo with anything other than disgust. The transformed Phoenix and curvaceous Joketsuzoku warrior were from a world were civilization was just man's meager attempts to eke out a life in the face of a seemingly infinite expanse of nature. Here though, in the 'rapid progress' of the outer world, that was flipped on its head and nature was the one that had to fear.

"By the great aerie," gasped Saffron. "Kiima, you had told me of their blasphemy against the Earth, but I could not believe it until now."

"I know, my lord. I do not know how these landlings can stand it."

"The less time we spend here the better," muttered Khoti.

"Agreed. Victoria, how long until our transportation arrives?"

The blond warrior looked down at the boy. Upon arriving to Japan, he had insisted upon walking, citing a need for anonymity. "Soon Saffron. Matriarch Cologne said she would be sending a van to get us."

"Did your leader inquire as to why you did not just walk," asked Kiima. Even though she had tried to fight it in favor of her long-held sense of superiority, the Phoenix guard-captain had grown to like her companion.

"Yes, I told her that I was traveling with a group and that time was of the essence. I may have suggested that I was with other Amazons," she admitted shamefully, "but I was not sure how she would react to you all."

Saffron nodded, "That was probably for the best. She is probably unaware of the changing situation."

Their group received some stares, after all they may have looked human but they still dressed the same as ever. Luckily, they did not have to endure them for long. Soon after discussing the time of its arrival, a large van pulled up beside them.

From inside the white paneled vehicle the driver poked his head out. He started at the wild array of clothing but having driven pop idols gave him the ability to quickly recover. "Is ones of yous Victoria?"

"That would be me," answered the woman.

The man eyed the leggy blond for a moment before gesturing to the back of the van, "Okays, yous lots gets ins the trucks."

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When she finally stepped out of the infernal vehicle, Kiima was ready to murder the driver. He wouldn't shut up or stop putting an s at the end of his words, even if they weren't plural. Also on her hit list was the thrice cursed inventor of the car. They turned what should be a relatively straightforward proposition into a grueling ordeal. The only consolation to the whole affair was that, finally, their long journey was almost at its end. They were now outside the Nekohanten, the Neriman base for the Joketsuzoku.

"I do believe that that was the most unpleasant person I have ever encountered," muttered the boy-god as he stepped onto the pavement.

"I hope they've got some food," grumbled a male.

Khoti smacked the back of his head, "Would you quit thinking with your stomach Roc! That's what got me into this body in the first place."

The slim man laughed nervously as he rubbed the assaulted spot. "I can't help it. I'm just always hungry."

"This is a restaurant Roc, there should be enough hearty Amazon food to feed even you," said Victoria. Though she considered her traveling companions friends, the blond woman looked forward to seeing some of her own people once again.

"Yes, some food does sound good," added Saffron happily.

"Perhaps we should wait on provisions until we are sure the Matriarch will not attack. No offense Victoria," added Kiima with some remorse.

"None taken," smiled the blond. "Our peoples have warred for so long that caution is only expected. If you want, I can go in and prepare them."

"Yes, please," said Saffron kindly.

With a nod, Di'al's granddaughter made the short walk to the Nekohanten's door and stepped inside. The blast of cold air was bracing against the ample amounts of skin her clothes didn't cover. But cold did nothing to limit the wondrous smells of the restaurant's wares.

"V,Victoria? Is that you," asked a male voice.

Though she did not interact with him much, it took more than long hair and a pretty smile to catch her eye, there was little mistaking the voice's owner. "Hello Mousse."

"What are you doing here," he asked incredulously.

"Yes child, I was curious about that as well."

Spying the most senior of elders at the entrance to the kitchen, Victoria bowed deeply. "Elder, I was sent by Di'al to warn you of a great disaster that has befallen the Musk."

"Yes," said Cologne gravely, "we were told by several members of the Musk. Where are the other warriors that came with you?"

Victoria winced slightly, "Honored elder, I was the only one sent."

Cologne's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Then explain why you told me that you were not alone."

"On my way here I encountered a group of Phoenix led by Saffron himself. They too were heading to this land on a mission of peace and I joined with them for the duration."

"Are you telling me that a cadre of bird-men are here? Now?"

"Actually, they're standing outside," said the young warrior meekly.

"Then bring them in child! Times are too dire to fan the flames of old hatreds. And you," ordered the tiny woman as Victoria went rushing out the door, "Mr. Part-time. Ready some tables for our guests!"

"Yes elder," he exclaimed in an echo of the retreating girl.

The group entered the restaurant before Mousse had managed to finish getting everything prepared. Though most of the party were in human forms, especially Kiima who looked just like Akane Tendo, there was no mistaking their clothes or the young god-child that was surrounded by capable warriors. Mousse still carried the memories of Mt. Phoenix and while he didn't attack the retinue, he did ball a fist at the sight of them. "Welcome to the Nekohanten," he said woodenly.

"I remember you," said the Akane clone. "You fought alongside Saotome."

"And you're the one that brainwashed my Shampoo," growled the handsome young man.

Cologne hopped between the two glaring teens, "I have found that only historians find any interest in the talk of old battles."

"Yes," nodded Saffron. "Kiima, remember that we are here to seek these people's help."

Kiima looked down at the floor as she blushed with embarrassment, "Forgive me, my lord."

"Of course," smiled the god-child.

The elder watched the whole exchange with eyes born of long experience and cackled. "So tell me Lord Saffron, what brings you to Nerima? The last time the ward saw your kind we were at war a short time later."

Saffron climbed into a nearby chair, "Please, if we start using titles we'll be here forever. And if we are soon to go to war, I assure you that it will only be with the force that has devastated the Musk so."

"Yes, we have been aware of the invasion for a while now."

He cocked his head to the side, "Interesting. Yet you still remain. I know you to be a courageous, if not cautious, woman. I choose to believe that it is caution that sees you here instead of at the front."

"Indeed. Believe me when I say that we would have left as soon as the Musk envoy arrived. Ranma advised that we wait though. There are allies that he awaits before he can bring his forces to bear."

"Yes, Ranma," grinned Saffron eagerly. "Where, pray tell, is he? We have much to discuss, he and I."

Now Cologne was on guard. In her experience, not even the eve of war stopped some people from attempting some foolish bid for revenge. "He is not here. And I do not think that he will be in any mood for a rematch," she warned.

"No," he chuckled, "I doubt he would and really, neither am I. Besides, I could never attack my brother."

The entire Phoenix contingent turned to look at their king with unmasked surprise. "S,surely you jest, My Lord," gasped Kiima. "The great enemy can't be the new Phoenix?"

"Kiima, he has never been our enemy. He did what he did to protect others. And yes, Ranma Saotome is the brother I mentioned."

"Figured Saotome'd be up to something," muttered Mousse as he handed out the tea.

The captain ignored the male in favor of her king. "But why not tell us sooner?"

"Come now Kiima. If I had said that the one I sought was Saotome, would you, or any of our people, have let me go find him?"

Roc's head popped over Kiima's shoulder. "He's got a point there boss. The council'd never let him leave the mountain."

"I know that," she snapped. "I wish you had trusted me more, My Lord."

"It was not a question of trust. I trust you implicitly. My reason for withholding the information is a selfish one. I wanted to meet my brother."

"Child, trust me on this. There are few things in this world more powerful than the need for family."

Kiima looked ready to continue the argument, something that she and her curse-template shared, but eventually decided not to. "Very well."

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Lime sighed as he walked towards the front door of the Tendo home. With Nabiki in school for a few more hours, the task of managing the house had fallen onto him. It was not one he relished. He was a warrior through and through, he didn't have the training to cook and clean a house. Certainly nothing in his training had prepared him for the task of dealing with the two lazy oafs that dared call themselves adults.

What made things worse was that he had to do it alone. Mint, his smaller friend, was still too weak to deal with much of anything. Even though the elder had been around several times since the healing, the wolf-man still healed slowly. She had intimated on one visit that Mint may never fully recover, his wounds might have been too severe and gone untreated for too long.

Still, Lime had made a promise to Nabiki that he would do his best to ensure that her home would operate smoothly in her absence. The thought of not living up to that promise did not sit well with the tiger-man at all. So he went to answer the door, not knowing what he would find.

As he opened the door, Lime saw a tall, bespectacled, man standing there. The large pack at the man's feet spoke of one who had traveled long. "May I help you?"

"Um, yes. Is Nabiki Tendo here still?"

"She's at school at the moment. Would you like me to tell her that you asked for her?" After the first time he answered the door, something that ended with a little girl crying. Nabiki had made sure that he memorized a list of proper responses.

The man shook his head, "No. My name is Dr. Tofu and I am a friend of that family. Would it be alright if I wait inside for her?"

That went off of script. But there was nothing about the man that triggered his senses. The man even smelled innocent. Plus, he was a healer, a profession that was revered by even Lime's people. "Okay," he said slowly, "I don't see a problem with that."

"Good." As Tofu entered the Tendo home, he looked at the young man who answered the door. "You're new, aren't you?"

"Yes, honored healer. I arrived here only recently. I am Lime."

Tofu didn't bat an eye at the odd name. "A pleasure. Tell me, Kasumi wouldn't be here, would she?"

"No," said Lime stiffly. "She is elsewhere." Healer or no, the tiger-man knew that Ranma and Kasumi's location was kept a secret. He would not be the one to breach that confidence.

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Nabiki Tendo walked towards her home with worried purpose. For hours now, she had felt icy tendrils of doom creep up and down her spine. Something bad was about to happen and, like most things, the brunette was sure that whatever it was was going on at the Dojo.

So obvious was her sister's worry that even Akane had picked up on it. She followed Nabiki towards home mildly surprised at the girl's speed. "Nabiki! What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she snapped. The lack of knowledge and Akane's constant questioning was seriously wearing her patience down.

Soon, but not soon enough in Nabiki's mind, they were at their front door. As was becoming a usual occurrence, Lime opened the door just as the brunette's foot hit the step. Lime looked worried, his normally handsome features lined with concern. "What's wrong," she asked hurriedly.

"A healer came by while you were gone. He calls himself Tofu. He's been questioning the idiots for some time now."

Nabiki ignored Akane's happy squawk and cursed instead, "Damn! What's _he_ doing here?"

Lime felt as if someone hit him in the stomach, "I'm sorry. He said he was a friend of the family."

"Not your fault Lime-baby," she said with as much of a smile as she could muster. "I had no idea he'd be back."

A wave of relief washed over him, "Do you want me to bring you to him?"

"No. Wait for a few minutes then bring him to my room. But be careful, only Cologne and the Master know more about pressure points." There was a cold fire to her words that burned all who heard them, even though they weren't the subject of her ire.

Akane was horrified at what she was hearing and, as was her want, she made that displeasure known. "What's wrong with you? Why're you acting like Dr. Tofu is some sort of enemy."

The elder Tendo daughter whirled around and looked at her sister with eyes ablaze. "Because he is," she hissed. "After what he did to Kasumi I'd throw him out of the country if I could. But right now I need to know why he is here before he tries anything. So shut up and go to the dojo or something."

With that, Nabiki stormed into the house and up the stairs. She didn't care that Akane was staring at her back as if she had grown a second head. All the brunette wanted was to get upstairs and get this whole affair over with. Kasumi and Ranma needed to be warned that the good doctor was going to be on his way. They were so happy, neither of them needed the emotional shit storm Tofu would bring down on them.

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As he stood before Nabiki's door, Tofu Ono never thought that his reunion with the Tendos would go as it had. Akane was vacillating between confusion and outrage when he saw her. She had happily greeted him, but the youngest Tendo kept glancing upstairs. Lime, the newest resident to the domicile followed Akane into the room and coldly ordered him to see Nabiki.

The thing that really confused him was that he had no idea why they were treating him so. He expected happiness, caution, confusion, some anger, and a few other emotions. What he never anticipated was being treated as an enemy. Worse actually, they had been kinder to Happosai and Cologne, and both of them had actually done things to those living within the Tendo walls.

"Come on," said Lime from behind him. "We don't want to keep her waiting."

Tofu nodded. The oddly dressed man was right. When he left, Nabiki was already becoming a force to be reckoned with. Who knew how much more so she would have become in the months since then. "Right."

With the first knock, the young woman answered. "Yes?"

The doctor shuddered at the ice in that tone. It was glacial, the kind of ice that was so unbelievably cold it actually burnt as readily as any fire. "I,its me. Dr. Tofu."

"Come."

As he opened the door, Tofu could almost swear that he saw wisps of ice blow out of the room. The center of that cold was the young woman sitting before the window. Nabiki Tendo sat under a light, its glare casting dark shadows across her coldly beautiful features. She looked less like a high school teenager and more like a powerful oyabun who was irritated that they were being forced to discipline an underling.

"Welcome Doctor Tofu," she said in a tone that declared it to be something else. "It is . . . so good to see you again after all this time."

_"Said the spider to the fly,"_ he thought nervously. More and more the whole situation was spiraling out of control. "Nabiki, what's wrong?"

The middle Tendo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do not address me so informally Ono," she hissed. "Right now I am mistress of this house and you will respect me as such. Am I clear?"

He swallowed deeply. "Crystal."

"Good. Now, I think you should know that the only reason I have not asked Lime here to render you into a greasy smear is that I do not want to have to clean up the mess. So, before I change my mind, tell me why you have chosen now to darken my doorstep?"

Okay, now the entire situation had just reached a very, very, dangerous point. It was quite clear to the medical professional that Nabiki was not just talking in hyperbole anymore. If he didn't give her a satisfactory answer then this Lime fellow would be the form of his death. What he didn't understand was why this was happening. What could he have done to so anger the woman before him. "Lady Tendo. If I may be so bold, why are you so angry with me?"

Nabiki bolted up from the chair, every line of her body positively quivering with rage. "How dare you? How dare you stand not three feet from my sister's door and ask that? She loved you, you cowardly bastard. I can't count how many times she came home from visiting you and locked herself in her room so no one could see her cry. You came this close to breaking her completely. For the longest time I thought she was just going to live out her days here, always wondering how she could be so deficient as a woman to have run you off.

And now she's moved on. She's happier than I've ever seen her. The both of them are working really hard to make something of their lives, to find some happiness with each other. So of course you show up now, just like every other ex this damn ward has seen. What were you thinking? Did you honestly believe that she'd sit around and pine for you while you went out and got your head removed from your ass? What now, eh? Are you going to go up to Ranma and make yourself his latest rival? Because if you are, I want to be there to take pictures of the beat down you're in for."

By the time Nabiki reached the end of her tirade, she was shaking so badly that Tofu thought that she would fall apart. Though her face had retained its fury. a steady stream of tears betrayed how upset she truly was. Watching her, so close to the edge of a complete breakdown, he felt a massive wave of shame fill him. When he left he had, as she said, hoped that Kasumi would wait for him. Never though had he intended this level of pain.

"Lady Tendo, I,I am so sorry. I never intended for any of this to happen. I had hoped that, if I hadn't returned shortly, she would go on to something better. I never wanted to hurt anyone. But you must understand, I was a threat to everyone back then. I had to leave to keep my patients safe."

"Please! Don't give me that garbage. You could have gone to Cologne and she'd probably've helped you. You really left so you didn't have to actually grow a pair and actually face Kasumi!"

"Y,you may be right," he said with a heavy heart.

"So why are you here," she demanded forcefully.

"One day I was away from temple in the city. I saw a rerun of The Incident, I had missed the initial broadcast while I was meditating. Even then I had trouble thinking about her, but when I saw that tape something snapped in me. Ever since then I've been able to think and talk about her without any problems."

"And now you want her back." It wasn't a question, it was a statement of reality.

"Yes, yes I do. I want to walk up to her and tell her how much that I want to be with her. I had thought that Ranma was just protecting Kasumi like he did for everyone else. But now I guess they are together," he said sadly.

"You bet your ass they're together. And insanely happy with each other too." In all her time knowing the pair Nabiki didn't think she had seen them be any happier. Even Ranma, Mr. Happy Martial Artist, seemed as if he was into something more than his precious 'art'.

Tofu sighed deeply at that piece of news. There was nothing like hearing that your worst fears came to pass and finding out that the other man is someone you have a lot of respect for. "Well I guess that's good. I mean I'm glad they're both happy, but I can't say I'm thrilled. Still, I need to see her. If only to apologize for the pain I caused her."

"Fine," she spat. "I'll tell you where you can meet with them. But you can bet your ass that I'll be calling to warn them."

He nodded, that was the best he was probably going to get from any of them. Now all he had to worry about was whether or not Ranma was as pissed as Nabiki was. Because if the teen was, then it was quite possible that Tofu end up a greasy smear that the angry girl could sell tickets to. "Okay. That only sounds fair."

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Across one of Juban's streets, the sounds of the usual ebb and flow of traffic were replaced by those of a battle joined. To the more acutely trained ears of the ward's residents, it was quite clear that this particular conflict was beginning to die down. The cries of the combatants were becoming increasingly stilted towards the feminine rather than the strange warbling that the newest attackers preferred. Finally, with one triumphant yell from the ward's long-running heroine, Sailor Moon, those residents in hiding knew that it was safe to return to the streets for another day.

At the center of the most recent battleground, the Senshi and Phoenix stood huddled around the form of the young woman that had once been a Shade. Once, the girls might have just run from the scene; trusting that the authorities would make sure that the victim was safe. Now though, thanks to Phoenix's rather strict moral code, they stayed and to ensure the person would actually receive that care and not get their pockets picked or something.

In their vigil, the Senshi were feeling especially good about themselves. This time, instead of helping in any meaningful way, Phoenix had basically sat on the sidelines and watched their performance. It was, in a way, their final test. Though they still had several galaxies worth of lightyears before they ever gained the sheer proficiency that Phoenix brought to bare, their training was beginning to show some return on their investment.

"I'm bein' serious guys," said Phoenix with a grin, "I'm feeling confident that you can deal with these Shades by yerselves."

"Yay," cheered Uranus sardonically, "we're competent."

Moon frowned and crossed her arms. "Hey now. We were competent before. Phoenix is just used to a whole different level than the rest of us."

The latest defender of Tokyo nodded quickly lest he incite the wrath of the dreaded feminus angrius. "Yeah, yeah! I'm sure you guys did great before we got here. Its just, these guys are really supposed to be me an' Cygnus' responsibility. I don't want to feel like I'm burdenin' you wit' somethin' you can't handle."

Uranus pouted, "Damn you. Don't you know that its hard to stay mad at you when you're making sense?"

Tuxedo Mask, the only other male of the group, chuckled. "I'm just glad to be called competent. That's an improvement from what he was calling me to begin with."

Phoenix cast a languid eye towards the top-hat wearing man. "Keep talkin' Cape Boy. I'm still waiting for you to be all spectacular like they've been tellin' me you can be."

The masked man's laughter took on a more morbid tone, "I'm still working on it."

Moon wrapped her arms around her love's arm. "We know you are pudding. It just takes time."

"Plus, when he's picking on you, he's not picking on the rest of us," quipped Jupiter.

Mask nodded solemnly, "The job of a protector is never over."

All of the Senshi got a good laugh at the man's false heroism. It was rare for him to act as if he was actually apart of the group as opposed to acting like that mysterious extra hero in a sentai show. In fact, ever since Phoenix started being around them constantly, Tuxedo Mask had considerably upped his face time with the Senshi; both on and off the field.

Of all those who were laughing, only Phoenix was quiet. At first, he had just been staring off into the distance. Those who knew him were rather used to it by now, as it usually meant that he was having a talk with Kasumi. But, instead of coming out of his zoned state, he got paler. One by one the Senshi ceased their laughter as they caught sight of the ever increasing look of horror that was marring his face.

It took the girls a few moments to break out of their shocked stupor. Before they could though, Phoenix was gone. And not in that whole, sudden burst of speed that quickly increased, kind of way. One moment he was just standing there, looking like someone was killing Bambi's mom, the next he vanished. Only a short trail of flame gave them any indication as to the direction he might have taken.

Not needing any sort of written invitation, the Senshi immediately ran after their comrade in arms. Though none of them knew what was actually going on, they were all positive that it probably involved Kasumi. Anything negative that involved her was something that they wanted to intervene in.

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With every fiber of his being, Ranma desperately tried to send soothing thoughts and feelings through the link. Though the link always connected him to Kasumi, connecting them mentally and spiritually, they worked hard to keep something of a wall up lest they get lost in each other. Today had been no different. During the battle he had felt a vague sense of worry creep in from her towards the end. At its end he opened the pipe some and found out what Kasumi was truly feeling.

It was hard to make any sense of the stream of information. Normally she was quite placid, like a tranquil river in his mind. This though was filled with a cacophony of confusion, sorrow, remorse, fear and practically every other negative emotion mankind was capable of producing. They swirled within her, blocking out all rational thought in favor of a primal negativity.

The passage of time to get him by her side was agonizingly slow even though he was really traveling quite fast; a kind of emotional relativistic running. After an eon or two of travel, he landed outside the Alexander home. The door was open, courtesy of Setsuna who had traveled ahead. As he ran past, Ranma nodded his thanks to the tanned woman; blowing through the door would have been rather hard to explain. He quickly passed the worried faces of his family before reaching his room.

Kasumi was, unsurprisingly, on their bed with her head buried in the one of the pillows. Even if he was still saddled with the immense emotional handicap that he had suffered with back in Nerima, there was no way that he would have mistaken the shaking of her body to by anything other than the sobs of a deeply troubled woman.

"K,Kasumi? What's wrong?" Instead of opening herself to him, Kasumi actually curled up into a ball and dove deeper into herself. That act stung Ranma as much as the most viscous of slaps from Akane. When he had been worried and afraid she had reached out and pulled him from that dark place. Now, when it was his turn to return the favor, she just allowed herself to go deeper into the darkness.

Since she would not let him help her, Ranma did the only thing he could; he sat beside her and started stroking her back gently. He paid no mind to the stream of tears flowing down his own cheeks, he just hoped that eventually she would do something.

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Kasumi felt her love's pain, felt how deeply her rejection had wounded him, and it sent her deeper into her black mood.

It had started so innocently. She had been doing a spot of gardening when one of the staff came up saying that Nabiki was on the phone. Since the little comclave, the sisters had spoken often; more so than when they actually lived with each other. Knowing that she was keeping someone waiting, Kasumi quickly made her way inside and headed to the nearest phone.

When she had picked up the receiver, Kasumi had expected the usual chipper greeting followed by some juicy gossip from Nerima. She heard neither though. In the grimmest tones she had ever heard her sister use, Nabiki reported her meeting with Tofu.

Tofu Ono. That was a name that she had never thought to hear again. He had been her first love. The doctor was strong and kind and handsome and all the other things that a girl her age longed to have. Then the antics started. At first she had thought his behavior with his skeleton to be a funny joke, a way for the man to relieve some tension. Over time though the joke grew old and instead of being funny it only served to hurt her.

She had tried everything she could think of to bring the old Tofu back. She had cooked, flirted, even read his books in an effort to gain an insight into what made him tick. All of it had been for naught though. Instead of opening up to her, he just got more and more ridiculous. To make things worse, there were the looks of pity on the faces of those who knew her. She acted as if she did not notice his antics and as if she could not believe he was different around others. But she knew, she wasn't stupid.

As Nabiki told her that, not only was he back, he wanted to meet her, Kasumi acted as she had so many other times he had come up in her life. The woman thanked her sister before hanging up and walking up to her room. Kasumi was sure that the others knew that there was something wrong with her; how could they not. Letting them see the depths of her pain though was simply out of the question.

In its own way, all the inadequacies, all the sorrow she felt at Tofu's rejection of her, had formed together into her personal Neko-ken. Oh sure she could laugh it off, she could pretend that it wasn't happening around her. But when actually confronted with it, with him, Kasumi could feel the walls falter and the darkness start to seep through.

And now the darkness had more proof of her inadequacies as a woman. A real woman would face Ranma. She would sit up, bury her face in his chest, and cry all her sorrows out until his hard pecs were replaced by a soft bosom. Instead, she had turned away from his warmth and gave herself a new reason to hate the woman she saw in the mirror.

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It was a group of battle-ready Senshi who landed in the front yard of the Alexander estate. After the way Phoenix had run off, they were prepared for any amount of carnage. If some Shade was attacking his family then they would fight it to the last. Only a few other times had they been so ready to join battle.

All that mental preparation was blasted away when they saw Setsuna stand at the door in her regular clothing. Just from that they knew that there was nothing seriously wrong with the whole situation. But what could have been so bad that it sent Phoenix running like a bat out of hell?

"Citizen," said Sailor Moon in her best, I have no idea who you are voice, "one of our allies ran this way. Is something wrong?"

Setsuna rolled her eyes at her friend's antics. "Oh my gosh! Sailor Moon! I hope no one's gonna attack us," she said in her most vapid voice.

As they watched the woman's antics the Senshi were more shocked than they had been in quite some time. "Um, Setsuna," asked Mercury, dropping all pretenses of unfamiliarity, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said flatly. "Nabiki called to tell Kasumi that her old flame is on the way."

She need not say anything more. All the girls could relate, in one way or another, to the negative feelings the normally calm Kasumi must be feeling. One by one, the girls gave muttered thanks before leaving for their homes. Only Minako stayed behind, and that was for some time with Marcus.

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Nabiki returned the phone to its receiver with a great deal of sadness. She had heard the feelings that had welled up in Kasumi with the news of Tofo's imminent arrival and hated that she had to do that to her. "Well, you have your meeting. I hope it does some good."

Though he could not hear Kasumi's end of the conversation, Tofu was sure that it had not been salutary. "It will. And I swear, I'll do my best to limit the pain to Kasumi."

"You better. Because I'm pretty sure that by the time the queue of people wanting to kick your ass is done with you it might be hard to say whether or not you actually existed."

If Kasumi was as friendly in Minato as she was in Nerima then he had no illusions as to his life span if he hurt her. "Well I better be off then. The meeting may be tomorrow, but something tells me that I won't get that warm of a welcome here."

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As Ranma opened his eyes he saw only darkness. It was not like a dark night in the forrest, at least there he could find specks of light and comfort. This, this was terrible. There were shades of suffering that he had only seen a small glimmer of in the wider world.

It was foul and awful. To Ranma it was as if someone had distilled all of the loathing, the sadness, and everything else that saps the wills of man. That terrible soul took the some total of human nastiness and put it in this place.

Once, he had heard that, 'if you stare into the abyss long enough, it starts to stare back at you.' Well this abyss didn't so much stare as it loomed. It pressed down on him, trying to consume him with its malevolence.

Well he wasn't about to let some stupid darkness defeat him; after all Ranma Alexander doesn't loose. Focusing his confidence he pushed the encroaching night with a corona of bright light. At the walls of his aura the swirling mass raged and howled. He smirked at their outrage, it was one of the few things he really took from his father. "Yeah, that's what I thought," he said with smug satisfaction.

The darkness seemed to limp back to lick its wounds. Before Ranma could move though, a loud scream pierced the area. Though he had never heard her cry out with such pain, the pig-tailed teen knew who it was who was being tortured so. "Kasumi!"

Somewhere out there the love of his life was in excruciating pain. Not thinking of anything else, Ramna did what he was best at and flung himself into danger. The going was tough though. While the darkness could not touch him it could slow him down, it could keep him away from her. And as Kasumi's cries got louder it became ever harder to move. It was like moving through wet concrete; every step a marathon that threatened to hold him in place forever.

Finally, after torturing him for nearly an eternity, the darkness finally parted to reveal a new set of horrors for Ranma to experience. His love, the beautiful angel sent by heaven to brighten the lives of all she met, lay face down upon a great black rock. Her normally smooth back was an angry mass of bloody lines; unquestionably the work of a whip. And her face was the worst of all. The gloriously happy expression was gone, replaced by pain and sorrow of unfathomable levels.

As surprising as the sight of Kasumi was, the identity of her torturer was all the more amazing. Dressed in something that would give Kodachi a run for her money was another Kasumi. This one was darker, more foul than the wonderful woman he knew her to be. Not even the demon that had briefly possessed her had made her look so evil. She slammed the whip down against her double's flesh with sadistic glee.

It was enough to make Ranma want to vomit. Before yet another blow could be struck he rushed forward and took the implement of pain out of the dark woman's hands. "Enough!"

"Oh hohoho! Look who is here Kasumi," laughed the torturer. "Now he gets to see the real you!"

The woman groaned and tried weakly to escape her bonds. "No," she croaked, her voice hoarse from screaming, "don't look at me."

"What the hell is going on here," he roared as he looked between the two women.

Dark Kasumi laughed in his face. "Don't you know? Haven't you felt this place lurking in the back of her mind? We're here to make sure that she gets the punishment she deserves."

Ranma looked at the woman with shock, "Deserve? How can she deserve this?"

"For all her imperfections. For all her failures as a daughter and as a mother. For her inability to attract a man until you took pity on her. For all that and oh so much more, she deserves every bit of the pain I give her."

"You're crazy," he screamed.

Slowly, the bound Kasumi turned her head to look at the young man defending her. "She's right Ranma," she gasped out.

"Kasumi . . ."

"I deserve all of this. Everything she said is true. I couldn't keep Akane and Nabiki on the straight road. I couldn't help father become the man he used to be. I,I couldn't even g,g,get Tofu to love m,me." As she confessed her sins to the man who loved her so, tears poured from her unceasingly.

He felt like a knife pierced his side. Tofu had always floated out there for her since they had gotten together, just as Akane had for him. But like Akane, Ranma thought that Kasumi was over the doctor, that she had moved on. Now though, things were starting to sound much different. "Y,you want Tofu?"

"No," she wailed pitifully.

"Then why do you care that you didn't get him?"

"Because," sneered the darker woman, "she knows that she wasn't good enough for him. She was as womanly as she could be and he still left."

"Bullshit! She didn't get Tofu because he was too stupid to get her. Not enough woman? Bah. Kasumi is so much of woman that she got me. I had a whole bunch of beautiful woman after my hide and she swooped in to beat them all. So yeah, I'm glad Tofu was such a moron, because if he wasn't then I'd still be alone. And any woman who can do the things that she does to me is all woman."

Though the woman was the representation of the darkness she had compressed in her, she was still a part of her and so Dark Kasumi blushed alongside her lighter companion. "But why did you bring her along, eh? Wasn't it because she's so meek that you won't have to worry about her?"

"Not worry about her? Are you insane? I worry about Kasumi every day of my life. I worry that some idiot from my past will try to kill her. I worry that she will die in this war. And I worry every day of my life that I,I'm not g,good enough for _her_." As he laid out all his fears to the women, Ranma began to add his own tears to the pool at their feet. Through those tears, he looked at the beaten woman. "I took you because you saved my life. I was leaving to die and you showed me that I have something to live for."

"Ranma . . ."

Ignoring the dark woman, Ranma kneeled into the pool of blood and tears at Kasumi's side. "Please," he begged. "You are so amazing. Just let me untie you and I'll dedicate every day of my life to showing you that you're the most worthy woman ever."

Suddenly the ropes faded from her wrists and her face regained some of its usual joy. Though her movements were slow from pain, Kasumi reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Do you really mean that?"

There was a spark of hope in her words that Ranma recognized to be very fragile. "Absolutely. If I could kill a god to save Akane then I can certainly do everything for you." The golden light of his aura, which had dimmed greatly with the unsettling display, brightened greatly with his boast.

"Thank you," she sobbed. "Thank you so much."

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Far removed from Earth, where the stars held dominion over a court most mortals only dreamed about, two beings watched over the distant sleeping forms of Ranma and Kasumi. Both Phoenix and Cygnus looked upon their avatars with sadness. The swan added to that with a hint of anger.

"Was that really necessary."

"You know it was," replied Phoenix. "Right now the universe needs them too much for them to wallow in self-pity and doubt. If I had not done that they would have wasted precious time circling around each other only to end up right where they are now."

Cygnus sighed sadly, "I know. I just wish they didn't need to be exposed to such things."

"As do I, my love. Hopefully my actions have spared them a great deal of heartache though."

"How soon until the first trial," asked Cygnus in an attempt to change the discussion to less painful matters.

"Soon. Ursus has been watching things closely and estimates that Lynx will be ready no later than the day after tomorrow."

The swan looked at her mate with worry. "I do not know if they will recover enough before then."

"They will have to."

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With ready eyes, Lynx watched the local star crest this small mudball's horizon with a greedy eye. Though he was a creature granted dark powers by the mighty Draco, the star's light invigorated him greatly. Today was the day, he was sure of that. After countless days of marshaling his strength today he would go forth and finally claim the ultimate prize in his lord's name.

"Soon, Ranma Saotome. You will no longer be able to hide from me. And when I am done with you, I will take The Crystal from your cold, dead, hands." Had there been anyone in the area with eyes to see it, they would have spied an unholy creature climb up a brick wall only to run off towards Tokyo.

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Elsewhere in the small island nation a young man was waking up from a most uncomfortable sleep. As Ranma blearily looked around the room he found that the reason his back hurt so much was that, sometime during the night, he had fallen asleep sitting up. His wrist was sore as well, probably from him rubbing Kasumi's back even in his sleep. In his usual eloquent way he managed to sum all that up with a heartfelt, "Ugh."

That was more than enough to wake Kasumi. Even if she didn't remember the night before, the woman would have known how she fell asleep that day; the feeling of dried tears was one she had experienced more than once over the years. Luckily, like so many of her black moods, the rising of the Sun wiped away the darkness in lieu of a bright new day. Only one thing stood between her having a good day or a bad one, and that was the wonderful man beside her. "Ranma," she yawned cutely.

"Yeah," he said softly. After last night he wasn't quite sure how she was going to act.

She sat up in the bed and looked her love straight in the eye. "About last night . . ."

"I think I understand now. Just next time, d,don't p,pull away like that, okay?"

"How can I ever do that again when I have such a wonderful man showing me how great I am on a daily basis," she asked with a loving smile.

Ranma grinned with confidence. "You got that right. So how about I give you one of those massages that you love so much and then I follow it by washing your back in the furo?"

"Oh Ranma. That sounds great, it really does. But I think I have a better idea." As she spoke in a seductive voice most people would never imagine her capable of, Kasumi moved so that she was straddling her beau's lap. "After all, I think you deserve a reward for saving me from myself."

As he pressed his hands against her body, Ranma stared into her warm eyes. "While duty is its own reward, I think I'll enjoy this one more."

"You better," grinned Kasumi as she pulled off her shirt to reveal her flawless flesh and the silken cups that held within a most bountiful treasure.

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Sometime later a very happy looking couple entered the dining room of the Alexander home. As they did, both Ranma and Kasumi were grateful that her sleeping habits had worn off on him. Had they not, then they would have probably missed breakfast because of their post-angst playtime. Not that they would have particularly minded of course, it had been a most rewarding time for the both of them. Hand in hand the couple embraced the warmth they shared as she smiled at their family. So enthusiastic were they that neither really noticed the thread of tension that ran across the faces of the others.

The family exchanged half-hearted smiles with the new arrivals as they simultaneously looked to one another to see what they were thinking. It was clear that the only thought among them was just what was going on between the two young people. All they knew was that Kasumi had gotten a call about her ex, went upstairs like a robot, and then a few minutes later Ranma came barreling into the house and up the stairs looking like a man possessed. Now here they both sat looking as if none of yesterday had occurred.

After a tense round of negotiation done solely through quick looks and quicker head movements it was decided that Justin would be the one to broach the question of what exactly was going on. "Hi you two." Though he didn't want the job, Setsuna's intended managed to sound as if he was completely enthusiastic with it; something that he was sure won him some points with his wonderful lady.

Taking her eyes off of Ranma for the first time since sitting down, Kasumi looked to her future in-law and smiled at the older man. "Hello Justin. I hope you and Setsuna had a wonderful sleep."

"We did, thank you," he said, never showing his amazement that she would say such a thing given how things went last night. "How about you two?"

Kasumi's smile dipped as she squeezed Ranma's hand tightly. "W,we had a good night," she said with a slight catch to her voice.

Ranma looked at his love reproachfully, "Come on Kasumi. Its obvious they know something."

"You should only tell us what you are comfortable with," said Yori helpfully. Her mother's instinct though was screaming at her to go over to the young couple and hug them with every ounce of her strength.

A part of Kasumi wanted to tell her story to the people who were so concerned with her emotional well being. That part was being silenced by more than a decade's worth of bottling such things tightly up within her. In desperation, she looked into her love's eyes and sent out a streamer of need through the link.

Even without that connection, Ranma would have known what she needed from him. Nodding confidently, he turned to look at the expectant faces of his family. "Doctor Tofu was the local doctor in Nerima for a few years before I got there. He treated Kasumi's family and she got a major crush on him. Now, whenever he'd get around her he'd start acting goofy and he'd even hurt the people he was working on. Then, one day, he just up and left the ward and never gave a reason. I guess he's comin' back to explain himself."

"But what the heck happened last night," asked a confused Tami.

"She was in pain," said Monica softly, "and he came to help her. Right Ranma?"

He smiled at the young girl who was rapidly becoming his favorite cousin, "Got it in one kiddo."

Joseph leaned forward and looked at his future granddaughter. "Well I do hope you are well now Kasumi."

Kasumi brightened somewhat, "Its like Monica said. I was hurting and now I'm not so bad anymore."

The patriarch nodded knowingly, "Healing is a road that can always take time, what matters is that you have started the journey. If you need someone to talk to feel free to come to me."

"Or any of us dear," added Yori. "You're family, and family is everything."

Once again, Kasumi found herself immensely amazed at the people Ranma had found. Though she had come from a family that she had thought was close, she now knew that the Tendos were essentially just four strangers under a roof. With these good people they played the game they said they did. Over her time at the Alexander home she had conversed and enjoyed her time with each smiling face at the table. And all they ever asked of her was to return that kindness.

"T,thank you," she said with some moisture in her eyes.

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As Ranma was leaving the table after breakfast he eyed Setsuna walking towards him. Of all of the family she was the hardest for him to get a bead on. Most of the time she was cheerful, and a tad perverse, but there were moments when she acted as old as she claimed to be. The changing, the never being quite sure which woman would speak thing, was rather vexing. Plus, with the whole Senshi angle there were times that he wasn't quite sure how she would react to certain things. Still, he had no beef with her and slowed down to see what she wanted.

"Hey Ranma," she said with some nervousness as she drew close. "Can we talk for a moment? In private," added Setsuna when she noticed one or two people casting looks her way.

Figuring that she wanted to talk Senshi business Ranma shrugged, "Sure. We can goto the workout room, no one should be there right now."

Setsuna smirked at the young man. "Yeah, you're the only one that uses it this early."

"Hey," he exclaimed with mock hurt, "I got to keep in shape if I want to keep Kasumi happy."

"The way she looks at you, you could be paralyzed from the neck down and she'd still love you," she half joked.

He grinned goofily as he thought about the beautiful young woman who had helped turn his life around, "Yeah, she's great."

When the silent witness and the raging stallion finally made it to the Alexander's weight room Setsuna closed the door and made sure to lock it behind her. Ranma watched her actions with not so mild interest. "Um, is everything okay?"

"What? Oh, yeah, everything's okay. I just wanted to talk to you without the others hearing. Its sort of personal," she said with modicum of nervousness.

Ranma released a sigh as all his sudden spike of readiness drained away. "Oh, okay. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wondering whether or not you had any of those packets of instant girl water left?" From the way she asked the question,it was quite clear that she wished the answer to be a resounding yes.

"Um yeah, I do. Ever since Arty I've not been using it." As Ranma said the cursed cat's name, he felt his blood boil with anger as the memory of his last conversation with Artemis replayed itself in his mind.

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_ As the sounds of the park gently rolled past his ears, Ranma sought out his quarry. After Monica's earlier warning he had been expecting this sooner or later. So, when Minako came up to him talking about Artemis having some problems dealing with his curse, the pig-tailed teen had not been that surprised._

_ It seemed like a right of passage, this concern with the curse. Even Konatsu, someone who had eagerly embraced it as a blessing, had questions about his new state of being. In fact, Ranma was a little glad that he had talked to the ninja first. The easy questions gave him a feeling of hope that this would be just as easy._

_ Artemis was not that hard to find, the long white hair his cursed form had been blessed with stood out among the crowd of black and dark browns. It was clear that Minako had dressed the teenaged girl, the outfit was too well thought out for the kind of person the blond had described her friend to be. What was also clear was the girl's mood. As she looked down at the ground, there was a positively abysmal aura of unrest surrounding her._

_ "Hi Arty," greeted Ranma carefully._

_ The girl looked up quickly. She was stunned to see him there; she hadn't heard him approaching. "H,hi."_

_ "Mind if I sit?"_

_ "Go ahead," she said glumly. "No one else is."_

_ "So, how're things?"_

_ She looked her companion suspiciously, "What'd Minako tell you?"_

_ "Not much," he shrugged. "Just that she's worried and wanted to know if I could talk to you guy-to-guy."_

_ Artemis smiled, "Yeah, she's good like that. Though I'm not exactly a guy right this second."_

_ "Aren't you?"_

_ "Look at me Ranma," she said as she gestured to her ample curves. "What about this says guy to you?"_

_ With a little mental effort, Ranma triggered the change and suddenly a busty red-head was sitting beside the other girl. "Why doncha take a look at me. I mean I've got tits and ass aplenty but up here," said the transformed male as he tapped the side of his head, "I'm all guy. So I'll ask again, aren't you?"_

_ The young woman sighed deeply. "I guess that's part of my problem."_

"Now we're gettin' to it."_ With a hesitance born from a lack of experience, Ranma reached out and touched the other girl on the arm. "Its okay. Ya can talk to me. I think I've had about every problem ya can."_

_ "Well I . . . I liked this at first. I mean, I can walk around. I can go places like this that I couldn't when I'm . . . not human."_

_ "Thanks fer not saying that. And I think I can understand. It must've been hard not being able to do all these human things looking like that."_

_ She nodded eagerly. "Yeah. I can go to restaurants, movies, practically anywhere."_

_ "So what's wrong?"_

_ A deep blush turned her pale cheeks red. "When you're like that," she said as pointed at the curvy red-head beside her, "do, do you still . . . you know . . . like girls."_

_ Okay, now the conversation was taking a decidedly odd turn. "Yeah," he said slowly. "You weren't there at the time, but Kasumi and I practically made out in front of the girls. And that ain't a show," growled Ranma; something that sounded cute in his higher girl voice._

_ "Sorry! Sorry! Its just . . . do you know anyone else with a curse like ours?"_

_ "Yeah, and they all like girls too."_

_ "Great," she moaned pitifully._

_ After the initial outrage faded Ranma let himself see the worried, almost blind panic, on the other girl's face. "Okay. Tell me why ya think yer not liking girls. I mean, are ya checkin' out guys or something?"_

_ "No," exclaimed Artemis as she shuddered with revulsion. "No, just the thought . . . eww."_

_ "So what's up?"_

_ "Well, at first I loved this. I could go around and talk to any girl I wanted. I even checked myself out in the furo more than once. But as time passed, curvy bodies started to loose their appeal. I mean look at you," she said as she pointed to her companion. "You're beyond hot! Yet its doing nothing for me," wailed Artemis balefully._

_ Ranma felt a tick forming in his right eye. Suddenly, all the pity he had held for the girl evaporated under his ire. "Let me get this straight. Yer actin' all mopey 'cause ya can't get yer jollies any more?"_

_ "Well when you put it like that," started the cat-girl._

_ "Shit man! And 'ere I was feelin' sorry for ya! Ya want ta know what's up? 'Cause yer a girl now, course yer gonna loose some interest in the not important stuff!"_

_ "So I not going to like guys," she asked with renewed hope._

_ "NO!"_

_ "Whew! Boy was I worried."_

_ Ranma didn't say a thing. It was more of a question of couldn't rather than didn't. There so many things that he wanted to say that his mouth simply shut down. Eventually it managed an aggravated growl as he stood and stalked away. _"Gods! Are all guys perverts,"_ he mentally groused._

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He was still growling as the memory came to an end. "Why'd ya want it?"

"Justin and I wanted a few while we were waiting for the ones we ordered," she said with embarrassment.

Ranma's residual anger went away in favor of surprise. "W,w,what? You want more?" Though he had been shocked when Konatsu asked for some of the packets, it quickly made sense to him why the cross-dressing young man would want them. For Setsuna and Justin though he could not conceive of a reason for their desire for more. She didn't seem to be the type that would be into girls and he seemed quite manly for a non-martial artist.

Setsuna hadn't felt so embarrassed since Senny convinced her to go streaking through the royal palace. If she could, she would just go and curl up somewhere where no one could ever find her. Unfortunantly, Ranma had something that both she and her love really wanted. "Y,yes."

"Why? Didn't you see what happened to Artemis and Luna?"

"That's not going to happen to Justin, your friend Konatsu proved that. As for why, do you really want to know," she asked wryly.

There was something to her tone that immediately conjured memories of his times with Kasumi when the situation, or desire, dictated the use of his female side. As soon as he starting thinking about those passionate moments the faces of Justin and Setsuna replaced his and Kasumi's, causing him to gag slightly and shiver. "Eww. "You're right. I don't want to know. Here," he said as he pulled out a couple of packets and handed them to her, "you can have them."

She squealed girlishly as she grabbed the proffered items and hugged her future in-law. "Thanks Ranma."

"Sure, no problem. Just don't tell me what yer doin'. K?"

"Right!"

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A short while after his discussion with Setsuna, an experience he was trying very hard to forget, Ranma went to find Kasumi. The meeting with Tofu was going to be soon and the last thing he wanted was to prolong the whole situation by missing it and having to reschedule. He finally found her in the library, ensconced in a large chair and her head buried in a thick book. "Hey."

Looking up from her book, Kasumi smiled beatifically when she saw her love saunter up to her side. "Hi honey."

Ranma shivered with desire at the appellation. Many times in the past he had heard couples call one another by such names and, on occasion, he found himself secretly longing to hear someone call him that. "No fair," he groaned lustfully.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," she said as she batted her eyes innocently.

He rolled his eyes at her transparent attempt to change the direction of events. "Come on Kasumi. You know we've got to get going."

The innocent blinking stopped as she sighed resignedly. "I know. I just don't want to see him."

"Me neither, but you got to. He's not gonna let up till you do. And if Nerima taught me anything its that you gotta face these things."

"Are you going to be there with me?"

"Of course I am. I promised that I do my best to make you happy, didn't I?" Though they had not devoted that much time to talking about their mental meeting, neither of them doubted that it happened.

She smiled up at him so brightly that she nearly glowed, "Yes you did, and yes you do."

"The come on," he said as he held out a hand, "and lets you and me defeat this dragon, my fair lady."

Kasumi took his hand demurely, "Be careful my knight, you don't want to start sounding like Tatewaki."

And so their latest emotional journey started with a light heart filled with laughter.

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Lurking on a rooftop, Lynx stared down at the couple walking down the street. His prey did not suspect that they would soon be dead. Centauri had been a fool, no star, no matter how bright, could stand against the power of a constellation. For his hubris the pompous star had been laid low. Lynx knew better though, as a constellation he would have more than enough power to deal with Phoenix and Cygnus' puppets. And to sweeten the victory he, more than any other, was perfectly equipped to overcome their paltry resistance.

"Yes, soon the crystal will be mine and our lord will bless me greatly," he purred greedily.

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As they walked towards the park for their meeting with Tofu, Ranma made sure that Kasumi was as close to him as possible. There would be a battle soon, he could feel it. It was the same threat of death that he had felt so many times in the past that he treated it less as a intruder and more like a long absent friend. Though he did not know who it was that followed him even at that moment, he knew who it wasn't. None of the old gang was after his hide again, that really would have been a welcome change. This was someone new, absently he wondered how he had pissed off this latest foe. In the end it didn't really matter, he was Ranma Alexander and Ranma Alexander doesn't loose.

The only wrinkle in that boast was the wonderful woman at his side. Would this person leave Kasumi alone or would they pull her in like so many had done with Akane? That question, more than the actual threat of an attack, unnerved him greatly.

Though she could tell that the was trying to hide it, Kasumi felt his concern for her well being. "Don't worry. I'll get to safety as fast as I can so I can see my man do his thing." This last part was said with a bit of humor mixed with a pinch of arousal, just the right combination to lighten Ranma's mood.

"Raaawwwllll! Give me the crystal," roared a voice from behind.

Ranma knew that sound, it was just like that tiger Kuno had tried to use against him a while back. Just the thought of that creature made him break out in a sweat. He wanted to run, run to the furthest place on the map from where he was. Duty called him to stand and fight though.

When he turned to face the voice Ranma saw a creature out of his deepest nightmares. It was tall, taller than most men and its shoulders looked like bookshelves made of thickly corded muscle. The creature's ears came to points and were pressed flat against its head with agitation. Long teeth and claws gleamed in the light like knives ready for the kill. Any one of those things, by itself, would have been acceptable to Ranma's mind, taken as a whole though they spelled out one thing, cat; giant angry cat.

Now since coming to Nerima he had gained some ground against the furry devils. If properly prepared he could look at a small one without making a fool of himself. For this thing though he was neither prepared nor was it little. That desire to run now became a primal terror the likes of which few people can fathom. It was only his iron resolve to keep Kasumi safe that kept him from running away like a blithering idiot. Still, locked between terror and duty, pretty much all he could do is stand completely still, as if his feet had been nailed to the ground.

Kasumi felt a trickle of the fear that was assailing her lover. She was nearly paralyzed by even that small amount. Though she was not a fighter the eldest Tendo daughter knew that neither of them would be able fight with Ranma as afraid as he was. Quickly she transformed and used her power to put him asleep. "I'll keep you safe," she vowed to his unconscious form.

Lynx watched her actions with amusement. "I had hoped to see him run around scared," he complained. "Still, I will have the crystal even if I have to slaughter him in his sleep."

This was the second time that the darkness had come to them seeking the crystal. Now, after talking with the Senshi, they knew what crystal they meant and who possessed it. Unfortunately, they couldn't give out that information. Usagi, though a wonderful girl, was simply not cut out for the intense combat these creatures demanded; and neither was she really. But Cygnus _would_ fight and defend her love. All she could do is hope that a miracle would happen to save them all.

"You're not going to get past me," she said firmly.

"You," laughed Lynx contemptuously. "I can smell Cygnus' stink all over you. She may be powerful but neither of you are fighters."

"I'll still fight you."

"And I'll enjoy ripping those wings from your back, little bird." With that final word, the cat creature bounded towards his foe and the young man she guarded.

Immediately, Cygnus threw up a shield of light of blunt the fiend's attacks. From the behind the safety of her barrier she watched as the cat man pounded ferally upon the shield. Soon she began to notice tiny cracks start to form in its surface, a testament to Lynx's ferocious power. Taking a gamble worthy of her love, Cygnus moved from channeling the shield with both hands to just one. With her free hand she sent a calming wave towards her foe.

Though he could see the attack, Lynx felt no pain whatsoever. In fact he began to feel lightheaded, almost giddy. His arms felt as if they were made of lead and that they threatened to rip from their sockets. That made the least sense to to the dark being, how could he be tired from pounding on the shield when it had only been a handful of minutes since he started? Before the lethargy set in much further the light of truth shined upon the situation. "Its you," he roared as his fury burned away Cygnus' spell, "you're doing this!"

Cygnus wasn't a fighter, but she had learned a thing or two from her love. She may have been reeling from fear and disillusionment, but she never let it show. Instead she smirked in the face of Lynx's ire, "What's wrong? Does the widdle kitty want to take a napnap?"

Her words did their job and what had been an irate cat monster was now a frothing avatar of unbridled fury. He bit and gnashed at the shield doing all he could to pierce it. Lynx's claws, imbued with his dark power tore at the barrier with wild fervor. For an instant, a fleeting, gossamer-like, moment of time, the shield blinked and his claws managed to carve deep gouges into Cygnus' arms. Her cries of pain and the sweet smell of fresh blood made the liquid in his veins sing.

With her arm wounded as it was, Cygnus stumbled back and hastily erected another shield. It was a delaying tactic and nothing more. Hers was the way of defense, of healing, and of cooperation, alone she was more of a liability than an asset. With her powers as they were sooner or later there would be another lucky shot, and then another, and eventually she and Ranma would be dead. _"I'm so sorry Ranma."_

His head giddy at the approaching victory, Lynx jumped away from the confounding woman. Channeling his power through his claws he once again rushed towards the shield, hoping power and kinetic energy would see the day.

Before the final blow could be struck a blade of energy tore through the ground between the two combatants. As the dust settled both Cygnus and Lynx scanned the region to find the source of the attack. They soon found it in the form of a young man standing on the edge of a building. Wearing enough leather, including two massive bear claws on his shoulders, to make an animal rights activist die from excessive anger, the man looked as if he had spent all his time out in the woods. There was a calculating look to his eyes though which said that this man of the wild was perfectly in control. In fact, if she wasn't positive he was still asleep behind her, Cygnus would have sworn the man was Ranma.

"Hey ugly, didn't your mother ever tell you that it was wrong to pick on girls?"

Lynx snarled at the newcomer, though he did not know who the boy was the cat man knew the source of his power. "Ursus! What are you doing here?"

Ursus smirked, "Dealing with pussies like you Lynx. Just call me animal control." Feeling as if there was nothing else to say, the man scythed his arms across his body sending a pair of wavering air blades towards his foe.

Claws alight with power, Lynx met the attack with a slash of his own. The two masses of energy collided in the air, blowing out windows throughout the block. "I can take anything you can dish out blasphemer!"

Instead of looking stymied, Ursus actually grinned with delight. "Great! I was hoping for a real fight!" As he jumped from the roof the man's form shifted and grew. Skin merged with leather to form a continuous mass of muscle and fur. By the time he landed Ursus had become a massive werebear, dwarfing Lynx as much as he dwarfed Cygnus. "Come on," he roared joyfully.

As the two man-beasts tore great chunks of real estate in pursuit of ripping each other's throats out Cygnus watched with relief. Now the fight was one that gave her some hope of providing meaningful aid. Acting quickly, she healed her wounds and then took to the air. On the ground below Ranma slept safely beneath a shield so Cygnus did what she did best, she helped.

For the second time Lynx felt the effects of Cygnus's damnable magic. It sapped his strength and made his reflexes sluggish, which only exacerbated the fatigue fighting Lynx had engendered. To make matters worse, the bitch's power was also being wrought upon Ursus; mending torn sinew and filling him with vitality.

Now, being in Juban, it meant that the fight would not go on for long before drawing the attention of the Senshi. As the first appeared on the scene they started at the sight of the two beasts fighting it out. Luckily, for both of the combatants, Cygnus spotted the girls before they could muster any sort of assault.

"Don't attack them! Get Ranma out of here!" Though their powers would be counterproductive in this particular fight, Cygnus was grateful to have them there to guard Ranma in her stead.

Not asking about the order from their flying friend, Jupiter and Venus nodded and sprang into action. They knew all too well about the dangers of having a battlefield with innocents on it. So while they both wondered why Ranma, mister fight himself, was asleep on the job neither of them were going to stop everything so their questions could be answered.

Lynx heard Cygnus' order and used a quick lull in the fighting to spy who she had issued it to. His eyes widened when he saw the two skirted girls. The cat man knew about the Senshi, all the stars did. They were a threat to his lord Draco as surely as the blasphemers. They were also an excellent opportunity to change the tenor of this fight. Using an attack by Ursus as a feint, Lynx jumped backwards and landed in the path of the green-skirted Senshi, Jupiter.

Jupiter tried to dodge out of the way but the creature was faster. Before she could mount a defense he whirled her around and held her by the throat so tightly she could feel his claws dig into her flesh. His head came close in and the brunette could feel its hot breath against her ear.

"Move and you're dead, witch." Turning to Ursus, Lynx held his hostage like a shield. "Stand down or I'll kill her."

Ursus, despite his rough exterior, knew that innocents were to be protected. If he didn't stop fighting right then Lynx would follow through with his promise. Lowering his arms to his sides the bear-man reverted to his human form. "Alright, I've stopped. Now let her go."

"Give me the crystal and I'll think about it."

Now that was the absolute worst thing he could have said. By this point in their lives, every Senshi was well used to enemies wanting the crystal. It meant that, ultimately, they were after Usagi and most of the Senshi had already died once to save her. It was doubly worse in this instance seeing as the one Lynx held was one of the more physically inclined Senshi. Jupiter looked into the surrendered man's eyes. Once she was sure that she had his attention, the brunette made it clear that she was about to do something. A slight nodding of his head was all the response that she got, but it was enough.

As he watched Ursus back away some Lynx felt the thrill of victory. He had won! With his hostage in hand they would soon turn over the crystal and then his lord would thank him graciously. Any further thoughts on that track came to an abrupt end when a line of fire raced down his leg and impacted with his foot. Before he could respond to that, something slammed into his groin. And in that pained state he completely forgot about the young woman that had escaped his grasp.

With the fuku-clad girl out of the way, Ursus sent a pair of almost invisible blades towards Lynx. They hit with titanic force, scouring an X into his furred chest and nearly shearing his arms from his body. Not wanting his foe to get an advantage once again, Ursus followed behind his attacks to pummel the cat-man mercilessly.

On the sidelines Jupiter watched the display in awe. It was like watching Ranma in action, only this guy was far more brutal than her pig-tailed sensei. Where Ranma would go for the quick takedown with the least amount of pain, her rescuer broke bones, tore ligaments, and popped joints out of socket with a great degree of precision. "Wow."

High above, Cygnus watched this brutal man with a somewhat sickly expression. Some of the Neriman battles had been rough but they were like energetic sparing matches compared to the slaughter unfolding below. If it were not so vitally important that they incapacitate Lynx to cleanse him of his dark taint she might have called a halt to the display. As it was, she counted the beast lucky when he finally lost his grasp on consciousness.

Though his treatment of the tainted had been perfectly brutal, when Ursus saw that Lynx had finally been beaten he let the broken and bruised form fall to the ground. After casting one last satisfied look down at his defeated foe, the wild man looked up at the angelic woman, "Hey! Cygnus! Your turn."

As she had before, Cygnus called upon the totality of her powers. The purifying light filled her with its radiance, washing away all her troubles; for the moment at least. With symbols of power floating at her back she sent out a beam of purest light. When it hit Lynx, initially he seized up; his dark power trying to fight against the inevitable. But with his mind out of commission for the moment there was nothing to stop Cygnus from banishing the darkness from him forever.

Light of ever increasing intensity filled the space Lynx occupied. Soon it reached a point where it appeared as if he had been replaced with a small star. Everyone watching the scene had to shield their eyes from the intense radiance. Then in an instant the light, along with Lynx, was gone.

_**"Thank you,"**_ spoke Lynx into the minds of the two avatars. _**"And please, apologize to Ranma. As its final act on this plane, the Bakeneko used all its will to direct the enemy towards him. In the weeks and months to come, expect others."**_

"I will," said Cynus. "Thank you, for the apology and the warning."

_**"Farewell."**_

As Lynx's presence retreated from her mind, Cygnus shed a tear for the soul that had been sacrificed in this war. "I pray that you finally have peace," she whispered solemnly.

Venus, who had been watching from the edge of the battle zone and not enjoying herself one bit, looked up at the floating woman. "Um, what do we do about him?"

Shaking herself from her mourning, Cygnus looked down at the young woman. As she had instructed, Venus managed to sequester Ranma in the shadow of a nearby alley. He was still asleep, blissfully unaware of the dangers that had occurred around him. With a soft smile, she sent out a trickle of her power, breaking the spell over him.

Now that the state of sleep Ranma had been more like hitting the pause button than actually a state of true unconsciousness. The instant the spell receded his eyes slammed open. Though he did not see any giant talking demons, the sight of Venus was enough to tell him that danger was afoot. In an eye-blink he was up and transformed into Phoenix, ready for action.

"Its okay Phoenix," soothed Venus. "Cygnus and the new guy took care of it."

"New guy?" Scanning the area, Phoenix saw who she must be referring to. But seeing didn't always lead to believing, especially in the case of the young man in the leather and furs. "You?"

Folding his arms across his chest, Ursus smirked in a manner most reminiscent of Phoenix. "Yes me. Its been awhile."

"What the hell are you doin' here?"

"Savin' your ass by the look of things."

Though Phoenix had been working very hard to break the Senshi of many of their stereotypic behavior, there were some ingrained behaviors that he carried as well. One of these was the habit of just standing in the middle of the street having a very public conversation. Jupiter was seeing this habit first-hand as the two men conversed in the middle of a category three battleground. "Um, guys? Maybe we should take this someplace else. We're starting to get some company."

Sure enough, now that the battle was over, a veritable swarm of people were coming out to take stock of the damage and catch a glimpse of the heroes. "Crap," muttered Phoenix as he caught sight of one particular spectator. "Figures he'd show up. Jupiter, Venus, can you guys take him to my place? Cygnus and I have some business we need to take care of."

Neither girl understood why the couple suddenly looked so distant, but there was a certain chill in the air that was unmistakable. "Sure."

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As the heroes departed the scene of battle, Tofu Ono did the same. He had been waiting for Kasumi to show up when he heard a large explosion. Fearing for the safety of others, the doctor had rushed towards the location where the blast must have come from. With wide eyes he had watched the two beasts wage war upon each other as Kasumi floated above shooting beams of light. It didn't take much thought to understand why Ranma hadn't been participating, but now that the teen was awake Tofu was sure that he needed to be back at the park lest the meeting never take place.

With his constitution it didn't take him long to reach the spot he had previously occupied. Standing in the grassy area, Tofu noted with some pride that he had managed to reach the park before Ranma and Kasumi. That minor amount of pride died a quick death when he heard the pig-tailed teen's voice speak to him from seemingly nowhere.

"What's up Doc?"

Though he had heard that voice countless times since he had first met Ranma, there was something about it that sent a chill down his spine. "H,hello Ranma." Tofu reached out and tried to feel where the teen was yet there was not a trace of him to be felt or seen, which only added to the feeling of foreboding that had descended upon him.

"You know, Kasumi thinks that I ran ahead to find you for your talk," he said conversationally.

"S,she does." This time, the stuttering had nothing to do with Kasumi's name and everything to do with the faceless voice around him.

"Yeah. But I thought that we'd have a talk of our own first."

"What about?" The question was, honestly, quite moot. If Ranma and Kasumi were an item, as Nabiki had intimated, he would have surely heard her side of the whole affair. For all his faults, the boy was a dogged defender of the damaged. Tofu held no illusions as to what the teen might do to him.

"You know, when ya left I kinda thought it was a dick move. I mean, ya just vanish one day without even sayin' goodbye. That was before I really knew what it did ta Kasumi though. Ya really hurt her doc."

That last part had been spoken right into the good doctor's ear. Ranma's hot breath only chilled his blood that much further. As much as he wanted to, Tofu didn't move away from the spot he was occupying. He felt as it he were being stalked by some sort of animal and the primal side of his being told him to remain perfectly still lest he be harmed. "W,what are you going to do to me?"

"Nothin'," said Ranma as he stepped out from his cloak. "As much as I'm tryin' to ditch everything the ol' goat taught me, the bit about not using the art to harm the weak is somethin' I believe in. And let's face it Doc, compared ta me, you ain't that strong."

He wasn't at that. Even when he had first met the boy it was only his aura of trust and neutralness that had allowed him to do the things he had to Ranma. Now, after all the battles that he must have been in since they last met, there was no telling how much more powerful he was.

"There was somethin' else I learned on the trip, the names of some very not nice people. Did you know that even criminals have a code? Kasumi was actually off limits in Nerima, and she's probably getting the same thing here. Well congrats Doc, ya broke that code when ya pulled yer stunt. But I'm a guy that believes in second chances, so don't hurt her again and no one will hafta hear about this. K?"

"I swear Ranma," he said, managing to not stutter that time in spite of the sweat running down his back, "that I am not here to hurt her. All I want to do is apologize for my actions."

Ranma nodded, "Okay. Now Kasumi's gonna be here in a sec, so I'll let you talk to yerselves."

As the pig-tailed teenager walked away, acting as if nothing had just happened, Tofu feared for the coming meeting. With how Nabiki and Ranma reacted to the whole affair the doctor wondered if he would have been better off just staying with the monks. At least then he could have gone on under the assumption that there weren't people burning him in effigy.

"Hello Tofu."

Now his breath was catching in his throat for a completely different reason. To the man's ears it was as if an angel had just spoken to him, and given what he had seen of her it might just be. Luckily, as he turned to face the woman he had loved deeply, Tofu managed to keep his cool. Having someone's sister and boyfriend threaten you with financial and bodily harm did that to a guy. "Hi Kasumi."

"I see that you managed to recover from your affliction." It was odd, there was a time when she would have done a great many things to see the man's eyes as she did at this moment. Now, as she looked into those brown orbs, all she felt was a spark of anger. And a spark it was, not the raging inferno Akane could produce.

"Yes. Seeing that first battle of yours did a lot to break me from my problems."

"Well at least you were able to get the help you needed."

While he tone had never left the soft, airy, range he had come to expect from her, there was something about how Kasumi said that which made him think that there was an insult buried somewhere in the words. "Kasumi . . ."

"Don't, please." Though the air was warm that day she wrapped her arms around herself. "You hurt me. You really, hurt me Tofu. I didn't understand how bad it was until recently. I am just lucky that I have Ranma with me now. Together we are working to heal each other. Thank you for coming to see me, but right now I can't accept your apology. I'm sorry."

Tofu felt his heart drop with those words. He had hoped for so much more. He had gone to do good, to ease the pain he caused. Now though it was clear that his actions had caused more pain than he prevented. As the woman he had dedicated a sizable chunk of his life to walked away the doctor decided to close the book on this chapter of his life. Though he had not said the words he had gotten his answer. One day Kasumi may be able to forgive his sins against her but he would not place his life on hold for that moment. He would walk away from this place and start anew.

"Maybe this time I'll do things right," he muttered as he watched Kasumi embrace Ranma at the far side of the park.

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It was a quiet couple who turned onto the street that led to the Alexander home. After the meeting with Tofu neither Ranma nor Kasumi felt like talking about what happened. They were simply content with walking together and letting their minds float lazily across the link. It was soothing, especially after the short period of time when Kasumi had blocked her side for the brief conversation with Tofu. While both knew the reasons for the block, the brief silence in their minds showed them how much they had come to count on the background noise of the other's thoughts.

Something else that the couple were not looking forward to was the discussion that they were about to have with the newest member of their little band. How would he reply to being in a group with Ranma? The last time he had seen this particular person had not been the most salutary.

Some of their concerns were washed away when they entered their home and saw the man in question trying to escape from the steel grasp of Nodoka soon-to-be-Alexander. The look on the woman's face was one of joy, as if the young man in her arms was Ranma and not someone else. It was quite obvious that she had no clue that he was trying to escape from her grasp and just tightened her hold like some sort of motherly boa constrictor.

Being the kind of guy that he was, Ranma just could not let this opportunity pass him up. "I think you're a little young for my mom Ryu."

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Author's Notes: Okay, I think that is a good place to end this chapter. Believe it or not, I have been trying to get the introduction of a new Avatar in for the last few chapters, but it kept getting out of hand and running away from me. Kudos to anyone who got that the van driver was Sal from Futurama. If he can be everywhere in the 31st Century what's stoping him from being in multiple universes too. Oh, and I would like to take a moment to talk about Artemis' butt. Honestly, it was something of a throwaway bit for the end of the last chapter that got away from me. I never really thought it would receive the comments it did. I wrote the piece in this chapter with him in it shortly after the reviews started coming in. Just don't expect a great deal more with him in the future.

Here's my thought on how Kasumi responded to the whole Tofu thing. When her mother died young Kasumi knew that she had to be strong for the family and took all her pain and locked it away. Over the years other such wounds were similarly banished to ensure that she was as stable as possible for her loved ones. Her issues with Tofu were just piled on with the rest until there was this dark, festering, ball of ill feelings.

Its one thing to talk about having sex with someone when the person you're talking to is a friend or someone who routinely talks about their sex life. With Ranma though, he's family and someone that Setsuna knows to be something of a prude; at least outside of the bedroom. Hence the embarrassment.

Anyone who read the part with Ranma and Tofu is probably saying to themselves, "Hey, Ranma did the same thing." Well you would be right, he did do that. But Ranma, for all his awesomeness is just a human being. In his mind the two situations are so different from one another that his hypocrisy doesn't even register on his radar.

Until next time this has been,

Chaos Lord

Kin of the Wicker People


	10. The Brothers Alexander

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners. For the purposes of this story those would be Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Chapter 9 - The Brothers Alexander

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Far away from Tokyo, across sea and land, there lay the ruins of a once proud citadel. There, on a throne of stone, Draco sat and raged. Even from so far away he had felt Lynx's failure. Through their link he saw the battle unfold. Ranma's terror amused him beyond measure, while Cygnus' sorrow he lapped up like a fine wine. And then Ursus showed up to ruin the whole affair!

Now the other side had three Avatars as well as the Senshi. Those foolishly suited girls would be a problem, he just knew it. Already they were aiding the others in dealing with the Shades. Such aid put a serious dent in his plans. Based on what he knew of Saotome's character, Draco assumed the teen would never accept their help. Now they were out there, a veritable army ready to strike out against him.

And speaking of armies, his spies had returned with information concerning the forces the Phoenix and Joketsuzoku were mounting. Though his own forces were plentiful, those armies could prove bothersome; especially if they joined with Saotome.

Summoning his power, Draco reached out and touched the minds of his lieutenants. "Lynx has fallen."

"Yes my lord," spoke the others through their link.

"Such failures are most vexing." It was clear what the price of failure would be. "Gemini, you will go next. Step up production of Shades and crush our foes into powder. I expect the crystal to be mine by month's end."

"Yes my lord," spoke the twin voices of Gemini as one, their voices chilling the air around their lord even from such a great distance.

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Hearing Ranma's jibe, Ryu Kumon forced himself from Nodoka's grasp with as much gentleness as was possible. Admittedly, it was nice to see the woman again. After their last meeting the road had lost some of its luster. For so long he had gone without parentage of any sort. Once he felt what it was like to have someone care for him, even if it was a case of mistaken identity, Ryu found himself wanting more. Still, she was Ranma's mother and it wouldn't be right to try and be her son again.

Instead of looking surprised at Ryu's actions, Nodoka turned to level a disapproving stare at her son. "Ranma! For shame. I know I have presented a view of myself that you find vexing at times, but I would never lust after my child."

Ranma felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Ryu her son? Yes, the teen in the combat boots had pretended to be him a while back, but he was sure that Ryu clarified things before leaving. Could she have forgotten that? Heck, with his life she could have hit her head or something and now she thinks they're brothers or some other nonsense. "M-mom? What the heck are you talkin' about," he asked worriedly.

Ryu nodded, "Yeah. I told you, I'm not your son."

Nodoka smiled at the two teens. Taking Ryu by the hand, she pulled him close once again. "Yes, I remember. Ranma told me everything about you, including the unfortunate accident caused by my husband's reckless actions. Our family owes you a debt of honor which transcends names," she said with a pointed look at Ranma. "So yes, I may not be your mother. But I would be honored to take up the mantel of parenthood your father regrettably lost."

The young Alexander looked between his mother and the teen she wished to adopt. Though Ryu _had_ battled him, so had most other people; some of whom he considered friends and family. And like his mom said, Genma was the one who helped Ryu's father die, even if it was indirectly. Besides, having a family was doing a world of good for him, maybe the same could be done for the young Kumon.

"Okay, mom. If that's what ya want, then I'll sign off on it," he said with a smile.

Seeing the warm, open, smiles on the faces of Ranma and Nodoka, along with the woman at Saotome's side, something inside Ryu Kumon lurched. The prospect of a second family was as terrifying as it was awe inspiring. And it wasn't fake, especially not for Nodoka. Being alone on the road you learn how to read people and you learn fast. The woman, as far as he could tell, wasn't the type who could hide her feelings for someone that easily. When she thought he was Ranma she had looked at him with such naked love that it was astounding.

Now, even though she knew he was essentially a complete stranger, that same love and concern shined out of her like a lighthouse. And there was nothing fake about the way she greeted him either. When she saw him she had screeched with joy before running at him and snapping him up in that embrace Ranma saw. You didn't do that for someone you just considered a friend. Quite frankly, it was a welcome he could get used to.

"Well," he said as he tried to keep his happiness from bubbling over, "if you guys want me, then I guess you got me."

Nodoka squealed like a little girl before grabbing hold of the young man once more. Her time away from her family had created a great sense of loneliness in the auburn-haired woman which would not go away overnight. Even as she held Ryu in her vice-like grip she reached out and pulled Ranma in to join them.

With tears in her eyes Kasumi watched her love as he embraced his mother. When they left Nerima Kasumi had no idea how deeply the pain of his loneliness went. He accepted potential killers and cutthroats as friends simply to stave off the crushing isolation his time with Genma engendered in him. Her acceptance and love had worked to soothe and heal his wounds; and the Alexander's love helped even more. Ranma, she knew, would be a loving and attentive husband and father. She and their children would never go wanting for anything, but the gentle hearted woman feared that his spiritual scars would never completely heal.

Sensing his girlfriend's concerns, Ranma reached out for her to join him, "Come on Kasumi."

A smile on her face, the brunette took his hand and proudly embraced the recently formed family members.

They stayed like that for a while, four souls of different blood yet bonded by a common emotion. Eventually though, Ranma and Ryu began to grow uncomfortable with the mushiness and both men pulled away; though their faces retained their smiles.

"Um Mom," said Ranma hesitantly.

"Yes my son?"

"Me, Ryu, and Kasumi need to talk." Seeing the denial forming, he quickly added, "It's kinda private."

Even with that addendum Nodoka was hesitant to acquiesce to the request. In her heart of hearts she wanted to grab hold of her sons and not let go lest she was left alone once more. But as she took in their serious expressions, the matronly woman nodded. "Very well. And it is 'Ryu, Kasumi and I' dear."

Ranma rolled his eyes but grinned nonetheless. "Thanks. I'll try to remember that."

"You do that," said Nodoka. "Now I will leave you three alone to talk."

As his mother headed towards the family room, Ranma directed his fellow Avatars towards the work out room. Though everyone under this roof knew of his and Kasumi's alter egos, the pig-tailed young man preferred to speak in secret lest a member of his family come under threat. The three young people walked in silence, each one occupied by his or her thoughts. Silent though they may be, each walked with light hearts in the wake of recent events.

When they finally reached their destination and had scanned the room for listeners, Ranma turned to face his new brother. "Okay Ryu, spit it out. How'd you become an Avatar?"

"Still as blunt as ever," grumbled Ryu humorously. "I guess you could say I'm on parole." Seeing the quizzical expressions on his companion's faces, the boot-wearing young man chuckled as he leaned against an exercise machine. "Back in the day, a bear was trying to kill No . . . uh Mom. I stepped in and killed the thing and I guess Ursa Major and Minor weren't happy about that."

"I thought that they weren't supposed to force us to work with them," interjected Kasumi.

Ryu barked out a laugh, "Oh they asked! It's just hard to say no to two angry bears. Besides, they told me about the threats to Earth and I thought it was time I stopped wandering and started helping people," he said with a shrug.

"Well we're glad to have you with us," smiled Cygnus' Avatar.

"Yeah man! It's 'bout time we got another magic guy that could fight." Seeing his love's scolding look, Ranma shrugged helplessly. "What? The only other one was Cape Boy and throwin' roses don't count as fightin' in my book. That's straight up Kuno stuff," he said with a disgusted shiver.

Seeing the confusion on her new future brother-in-law's face, Kasumi clarified some of what her love spoke about. "We are allied with a group of magic wielding warriors called the Sailor Senshi. The only man on their team is Tuxedo Mask whose primary weapon happens to be roses."

"Roses," asked Ryu disbelievingly.

"Yeah," grunted the pig-tailed teen as he folded his arms across his chest, "roses. Ain't manly if you ask me." Thoughts of Kuno spouting bad Shakespeare danced through his head, causing him to shudder slightly. That Cape Boy made speeches only added to Ranma's derision for the 'fighter'.

Instead of continuing a discussion about a person who didn't seem to be worth the effort, Ryu turned his mental focus elsewhere. "So, were those two girls part of these Sailor Senshi?"

Kasumi nodded happily, "That's right. They go by the names Venus and Jupiter when they are transformed."

"We'll take you to meet the others later," added Ranma. "There's a training session, so you get to see what they're like."

Picking up the flow of the conversation as if they were one person, Kasumi continued speaking. "Although, if Setsuna is here we can introduce her to you now."

Just then the door to the workout room opened to reveal the green-haired woman's curvaceous frame. Seeing the surprised looks on the faces of her family she giggled; something her fellow Senshi would not have been able to fathom. With ease born of eons of practice, the Mistress of Time put on a false face of modesty. "Did someone call my name?"

"How did you-," stuttered Ranma.

"I heard about the attack from Jupiter," explained Setsuna, "along with something about you sleeping on the job."

Assuming that this woman was the same person his new family was talking about, Ryu's tension at being overheard drained away. Her question brought to mind something that had been bothering him since he stepped onto that roof overlooking the earlier battle. "Yeah, what was up with that? I didn't think you were the type to sleep in the middle of a fight."

Even before it showed on his face, Kasumi could feel the shame her love felt at leaving her alone in the midst of a battle. To stem the rising tide she wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders and sent every ounce of her warmth and support to him. "Ranma," she said as she faced down the two questioners, "was going to try and fight, but I put him asleep. It was either that or let Lynx turn him into an even bigger threat. Neither of us wanted him going berserk while using Phoenix's power," as she made her final statement, the brunette pulled her man in tight so that the others could see that it had been their choice and not just his.

With that Setsuna felt like a total ass. It was clear now what had happened, with a name like Lynx it was quite obvious. When Makoto made her report, she had never mentioned the name or the particulars of the enemy Ranma and Kasumi went up against, an oversight she would not be making again. Seeing the look of abject confusion on the new guy's face, the tanned woman decided to do some penance by taking him under her wing and explaining things to him.

"You guys go and have some fun. I'll handle the explanation."

Smiling with gratitude, Kasumi led Ranma out of the room. There had been too much angst that day, they were due for some relaxation. And they would have their fun, come hell or high water.

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Elsewhere in the city, two girls were out having some fun of their own. Walking side by side like a pair of sisters, the black-haired young woman and her blonde companion chatted amiably. The blonde, one Usagi Tsukino, wore a pair of white jeans which tastefully displayed her legs along with a blue tee shirt and a white jean jacket. Beside her walked her friend Luna who was attired in a dress of dark blue which flattered her figure while maintaining a definite conservative air.

Though no one could tell it from looking at her, it was something of a miracle that Luna was wearing the dress she was. With the cat's ascension to the ranks of humanity, the young woman found herself transported to a whole new world of sights and sounds. The possession of a human face and body to relate to caused Usagi's parents to treat her more normally than they had when she was merely a talking cat. Things which she had wished to try out for years, such as conversing with other people, were suddenly available to her. One thing which no one had counted on however was her complete lack of anything approaching a personal fashion sense.

Sure, she could look at someone else and tell whether or not something looked right on them. When it came to herself though, things became a great deal worse. After her third completely miss-matched outfit Usagi and Ikuko declared that a shopping excursion was called for. Of course this was also in response to the new girl's desperate need for clothes. While she could share pants with her absentminded friend, Luna's sizable bust line ensured that there would be no trading of tops or bras. It was only through some temporary donations from Ikuko that the cat-girl was able to walk around like a decent member of society.

In the wake of Venus and Jupiter's all clear signal, Usagi took it upon herself to drag her friend out for her much needed shopping trip. At first Luna tried to beg out of the experience as her natural frugality made her assert that such an expense was unnecessary given that hot water would turn her back into a cat. Surprisingly, the normally dense blonde made a solid case for the stupidity of such a plan and soon had the young woman out the door and heading towards the nearest clothing shop.

"You know Usagi," said Luna in her cultured voice, "I never realized how enjoyable shopping could be."

Usagi looked at her friend quizzically, "But Luna, you've seen me come home after one of my sprees looking as happy as I can be."

"Well yes," she admitted readily. Such things had happened often in their time together. "However, in my prior state I was never able to understand the simple joy which could be found in it. I only saw clothes as something which society dictated a requirement for. Remember, I was essentially walking around naked."

The blonde blushed at the thought of her friend strolling down the street without a stitch of clothing on. Essentially it would be no different than her normal way of moving around, yet Usagi knew that what was good for a cat was not necessarily good for a human. "Somehow Luna, I don't think you should put it like that. Besides, you wouldn't want to put on a show, would you," she asked, sounding a great deal more like her friend than she would have ever thought.

Luna shook her head energetically, her inherent sense of propriety feeling scandalized at the mere thought of such a thing. "Heavens no! You do not think I am Artemis, do you?"

At the mention of the white-haired cat/sometimes girl, both Luna and Usagi scowled prettily. Though they had not seen Artemis much since the time of the cat's cursing, that had not stopped the flow of information from circulating through the Senshi. What they heard, Artemis' reveling in dressing like a girl, following girls around, and being overly fond of his body, were all black marks against him in their minds.

"No Luna, I wouldn't think that. Though I am starting to wonder about him."

"I know what you mean," laughed the dark-haired girl. "He was always insecure about his masculinity before he became a human. Now he has gone all the way to the other side."

"What's that going to do between you and him," asked Usagi with curiosity.

Blushing madly, Luna shook her head, "I-I do not know what you are referring to."

Usagi rolled her eyes at the denial of something which all the Senshi knew to be true. "Come on Luna! You're not getting out of this that quick."

She sighed as her shoulders slumped, "Am I that obvious?"

"Only to someone with eyes," tittered Usagi. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Honestly, I do not know," she said with a touch of sadness. "Before, when we were both cats, I had always assumed that, someday, he and I would end up together. And when Diana showed up it became an almost certainty. Now," she shook her head, "who knows? I can be a human now and, from the way Ranma tells things, there are ways I can stay this way forever. Now all these intelligent and respectful men are suddenly a possibility for me." Despite the array of possibilities she spoke of, every word was leadened with hopelessness.

With a companionable smile Usagi wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder, "Hey now. Don't start giving up on love. He may come around after a while. And if he doesn't? Well you said it. There are plenty of fish in the sea for a smart and attractive woman like you."

"Says the girl with a predestined boyfriend," said Luna wryly.

With a grin, the blond nodded, "And look at how we started out. Just keep your eyes open and your heart ready."

"Is that advice from a certain defender of love and justice?"

"You bet," proclaimed Usagi proudly.

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"My Lord, again I must protest."

Walking beside the Amazonian Elder, Saffron rolled his eyes at his guard captain's constant stream of worry. "Honestly Kiima, have we not already discussed the necessity of a low profile for the duration of our time here?"

The woman with Akane Tendo's form winced. Indeed they had discussed, at great length, the need to blend in. It was the reason she and the others wore their cursed bodies. It was also why each of them were garbed in clothing more fitting for the land they found themselves in. Even still, it struck her as wrong to see the child-god wearing shorts and what Nabiki Tendo called a trench coat to keep his lustrous wings hidden. "Indeed. But you are attempting to buck thousands of years of tradition. Forgive my inability to overcome such things."

Cologne clicked her tongue, "Now, now child. Traditions are something that we learn in the spring of life, something we lament in the summer, and something we ignore in the fall. Do try to skip to the fall, if only for a little while."

Much as the template for her form would, Kiima bristled at the elder's words. Before she could yell that an Amazon held no authority over her, Saffron threw his head back and began laughing. "Lord Saffron?"

"Oh Kiima! It is so refreshing to hear such wisdom from one so young, if you will forgive me Elder," he said to the ancient woman with a grin.

"None taken," she cackled. "It does this old woman's heart good to be called young once more."

With Saffron's revelation that Ranma was, in fact, his brother it was quickly decided that they needed to go and meet with him as quickly as possible. To facilitate this expedition Cologne called up the Tendos to seek their assistance in outfitting the group with appropriate attire. In short order they were clothed and off for the pig-tailed teen's new home.

Upon arriving at Ranma's new home the Phoenix all looked upon the massive dwelling with a mixture of awe and disbelief. Kiima, who knew the most about their new brother, was the most amazed to see the building; issuing a very disparaging curse of disbelief.

"Do not take offense Elder, but are you sure this is the correct place," asked Saffron with all the diplomacy an immortal child can display.

Said Elder cackled gleefully at their confusion. "I asked that very same question when I first saw where Son-in-law ran off too. But I assure you, this is the right place."

Shampoo bobbed her head eagerly, "Is true!" To see both her new sister and the man who had stolen her heart live in such a palatial home was a mark of profound pride for the young Amazon. Even taking into consideration the overall bigness of the wider world, it was clear that places such as the one before her were marks of great wealth and prosperity. If she could not have Ranma then at least he and Kasumi lived in a place worthy of them both.

Hearing the confirmation of both the Elder and the bubbly warrior, Saffron returned his gaze to the impressive abode. "Hmm," he muttered as he considered what he saw, "blood will certainly out."

The rest of the Phoenix entourage nodded eagerly. They heard of Saotome's situation all too often since he laid their lord low. Aways he was described as a landling vagabond, certainly not the sort to carry some of the royal blood. This, however, was certainly a place fit for a god-prince.

"Sir, perhaps we should go in," offered Kiima as she took notice of the stares they were beginning to receive. While it was true that they were garbed in native attire, and thus blended in more than they used to, a crowd of people milling about would always garner attention.

"Quite right child. Follow me," commanded Cologne. Not waiting for anyone to follow her orders the Matriarch made her way into the Alexander compound and up to the front door. There she nonchalantly rang the bell and awaited an answer. As she had come to expect from the staff at Son-in-law's home, the door promptly opened. "Down here young man." She grinned toothily when the graying man looked down with a measure of surprise on his features. "We're here to see Ranma."

"Of course. Master Ranma has just ended a meeting. I am sure the he and Kasumi will be willing to meet with you." Though he was a classically trained gentleman's gentleman, there were just something about the friendly young woman which made it hard to address her in such a formal fashion.

"Good." Turning back to face her companions, she made a staying motion. "Wait here. We don't want Son-in-law to see you and think this an invasion."

"Yes, that is certainly a prudent course of action," replied Saffron magnanimously before the Elder nodded and made her way into well-loved building.

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In the room they shared, Kasumi was in the midst of showing her love how grateful she was to have him in her life. Had anyone from Nerima been there to see the young woman in her current state they would never believe their eyes. For them the eldest Tendo daughter was always a source of quiet propriety. As all of Nerima came unglued from social, psychological, and sexual tensions, the brunette was the calm eye which nothing could touch. That calm, collected soul was a far cry from the vision of passion perched upon her partner.

With a throaty gasp, the young woman pulled her lips from those of Ranma's and reflected upon how different things were for them both. Not too long ago they were trapped in lives which neither wanted but could see no way out. Now here they were, making out like the young people they were supposed to be and enjoying every minute of it.

"Mmm," she softly moaned as Ranma gently massaged her chest, sending pleasant jolts throughout her body, "that feels sooo good."

Even with his hormones pumping away furiously, Ranma was able to ponder current events. There was a time when any number of woman would have done anything to be where Kasumi was, yet he had avoided them all. At the time there were those who suggested that he was missing out on something and a part of him wondered whether or not that was true. Now he rejoiced in his waiting for it gave him the chance to experience the full gamut of love with a person who felt the same for him.

"I guess there's something good about turning into a girl after all," he said with a grin. His views on the curse was something else which changed over the last few weeks. It was thanks to the wonderful woman enjoying his ministrations that he started down the path of seeing it as something of a blessing, if only around her.

Grinding herself against him to produce the greatest possible pleasure for both herself and the glorious man who stole her heart, Kasumi sighed lustfully. "Tonight," she gasped as his calloused fingers brushed across a particularly sensitive patch of skin, "I'd like to speeend so time with Ranko-ooh!"

Ranma froze as his girlfriend's lustful request filtered into his mind. Sure, they'd been together like that before, but it always happened on the spur of the moment. To be asked like this so far in advance? It was rather jarring. "Why?"

As much as her blood pounded and her skin ached for his touch Kasumi was able to tear herself away from her ecstasy to answer the greater questions she could see brewing in his eyes. "I could just say that its been a while since the last time, but that wouldn't be the real reason." Seeing that he was waiting for her to explain, she continued to speak. "Let me ask you something. When you and I together like this, do you like to see me enjoying myself?"

"You know I do," he answered with confusion.

She smiled and placed a gentle hand over his heart. "Now don't you think that I like to see you enjoying yourself?"

"But I do!"

"Yes, I'm sure you do. But when you're a guy you're always more controlled, more focused on making things good for me. Believe me, I love that you're so attentive, but I occasionally like to see you really enjoying what we're doing. When you're a girl you always act more free. It's then that I can see your love for me as plainly as I feel it through our link."

Looking into the loving eyes of the angel before him Ranma felt in awe of her. It was a state of being that he often found himself in around her. He so used to the idea of pleasing others that the concept of someone else wanting to do the same for him was still surprising. "Okay," he said with a warm smile. "I'll do it. Do you want me to change right now?"

Kasumi shook her head, "Only if you want to. But," she purred as she caressed one his hard biceps, "right now I think we're both enjoying things as they are."

He grinned and thought, briefly, about the prim and proper young woman he first met so long ago. How she was now was partly his doing and Ranma was deeply gratified that he was able to help her leave her shell. "You're right," said the young man with a throaty growl, "we _are_ having fun."

With a grin of her own, the young woman leaned in and began to renew her romantic endeavors. But if her intentions were to go beyond the passionate making out that they had previously engaged in, neither of them would get to know how far they may have been able to go. A blanket was thrown on their passions courtesy of a knock at the door.

"Master Ranma? Kasumi?"

Breaking from the kiss, the young man stared at the door with a mixture of displeasure and confusion. "Willikins?" Even harder to come to grips with than the concept of someone wanting him to have a good time was the idea of having servants. So difficult was it in fact that Ranma decided to treat him and the few other staff members as family rather than subordinates; a policy which Kasumi and his grandparents approved of greatly.

The young couple could hear the old manservant cough and shuffle his feet somewhat nervously, a clear sign of embarrassment on his part. "Pardon the interruption, sir. An Elder Cologne is here to see you. Shall I turn her away?"

Sighing, Ranma lightly thumped his head on the headboard behind him. "No," he groaned reluctantly, "we'll be down in a minute."

"Very good sir."

As the man's almost silent steps moved away, Ranma looked at the pouting face of his girlfriend and grimaced. "Sorry. But you know the Old Ghoul, she wouldn'tve showed up if it weren't important."

Though she didn't particularly like it Kasumi was forced to admit that he had a point. Of all the various characters from Nerima, Cologne was the least likely to show up anywhere without cause. That did not mean, however, that she was about to give him a total bye for calling an end to their activities. As she got up and began to reclothe her topless form, the brunette took great care to draw out her actions. Seeing the look of disappointed desire on her love's face more than made for the cessation of the day's activities. _"And I'll just have to work doubly hard tonight to make up for this."_

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By the time they made it to where the Elder was calmly drinking tea with Setsuna their passion were thoroughly extinguished. When she saw the young couple the elderly woman placed her cup on the table and smiled at them both. Though they had taken care to make themselves presentable, to a seasoned eye such as hers it was clear as to nature of their prior activities. It was a sight which gladdened her heart. For too long, in her opinion, both of them had spent their time acting more mature than most people their ages. With the youth and vitality they possessed it was a small crime that they worked so hard to pin up those desires.

"Ah Son-in-Law! I was just telling Setsuna of your adventures with the Nanban Mirror."

"Yes Ranma," added Setsuna with a green eyebrow delicately raised, "I find your time travel escapades most . . . interesting." It was quite clear from her tone that the Mistress of Time was somewhat less than pleased to know that such an artifact had escaped her knowledge and that they would be discussing things at a later day.

"Oh yeah," mumbled the pig-tailed teen as he scratched the back of his head, "I kinda forgot about that."

The green-haired woman stared at him through lidded eyes, her face a mask of disbelief. "And how, exactly, do you _forget_ going through time. The others still talk about theirs."

Cologne cackled at her companion's confusion. "Oh child! With the insanities in Son-in-Law's life, his little trip to my past is nothing compared to some of his other adventures. And it is one of those adventures which brought me here today. In particular, the one to Mt. Phoenix," she explained with a pointed look.

In an instant the calm, somewhat embarrassed, expression on Ranma's face vanished and was replaced by one of cold readiness. Even as his insides were screaming at him to hide Kasumi in the deepest, most remote, hole he could find, his face was a picture of total control. It was a close thing however and it took diving into the Soul of Ice so deep that felt as if he would freeze at any moment. "Where?"

Looking at the young warrior before her Cologne felt a measure of pride. Few could go as deep as he was and survive, yet he appeared to feel no adverse effects. Truly he was among the greatest of her students. Her self-congratulatory mood would have to wait though, the last thing they needed was Ranma tearing into the Phoenix ranks while they were on a mission of peace. "Calm down. I have spoken with their representative and they merely wish to talk."

Ranma looked at the ancient woman suspiciously. "You've talked to them?" In his mind flowed the memories of Shampoo working with Kiima thanks to some Phoenix brainwashing. The Old Ghoul had one of the most disciplined minds he'd ever seen, but who knew how strong the Phoenix's mental techniques really were. _"Kasumi, transform and scan her."_

While she was normally the sort to trust first and ask questions later, the amount of fear and suspicion coming down the link from Ranma convinced her to follow his request; if only to stymie those emotions. In a flash Kasumi was gone and Cygnus stood in her place, as luminous as ever. As Setsuna and Cologne watched her with surprise the Avatar unleashed a cleansing wave throughout the house. Only the power of another Constellation could corrupt a person so thoroughly that her spell could not save them.

As the light engulfed her, Cologne felt a sense of euphoria coupled with the oddest tingling sensation throughout her body. With awe-filled eyes she looked at her hands and watched as sparks of white lightning arced across her fingers. Though she was sure that it was just the active imagination of an old woman, it looked as if her skin actually lost some of its wrinkles under the lightning's touch. What was not imaginary was the lessening of the arthritis in left knee and hip. "Interesting," she muttered as the light died away. "May I ask, why you felt it necessary to do that?"

Though he had no wounds for Kasumi's spell to heal, he did feel his tension drain to a large degree. "Had to be sure. Couldn't take the chance that you were under their control."

Cologne stared at Ranma for several moments before nodding reluctantly. "Yes. I _had_ heard of your troubles in that area. Your suspicions regarding my mental state are understandable, though I wish you said something first."

Even with his tensions lessened as they were the young man's face remained as stony as ever, a sign of the warrior he could be. "The others acted normal right until they tried ta kill me. If I'd told you about what I thought, you'd might try 'n kill us."

"Then I would say that your caution is most prudent," replied the Matriarch admiringly. "But enough of that. There is a group of Phoenix outside who wish to speak with you, under a flag of truce, of course."

Within the confines of his mind Ranma snorted at the possibility of no fighting breaking out. All too often one thing or another got him knee deep in conflict, whether he wanted it or not. Still, peace was one of the reasons he left Nerima. If the Phoenix were honest in their intentions then it was his duty to accept their offered hand. "Okay, we'll meet with them. But I'd like you ta be transformed Setsuna. If this _is_ a trap I want as many people ready ta fight as I can get."

Seeing the wisdom of the suggestion the green-haired woman nodded and transformed. As she followed the young man outside Pluto once again she found herself amazed by her future in-law. So often he seemed like a depthless goof yet, on occasions such as these, Ranma would show a surprising amount of intellect. It was one of the many reasons why she was glad to be his ally rather than his enemy, a focus such as his was not to be trifled with.

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When the Elder disappeared into the palatial mansion the assembled ranks of the Phoenix party thought that their wait would be a short one. As the time slowly clicked away, confusion began to set in and the group started to wonder whether or not they had been forgotten. Once again they were on the receiving end of queer looks and each person increasingly felt as if it would have been a wiser choice to just go in with their guide.

Just as their desire for allowing their hosts the proper time gave way to one directed towards being off the street, the main door of home opened to reveal Ranma. He looked much as he had the last time Kiima saw him and the sight of him reflexively caused her to ball up her hands into fists. Before she could emulate her curse template and do something stupid the Guard Captain caught sight of Saotome's companions. The first was a etherial woman who looked as if she was part Phoenix. Following her was an absurdly-dressed female who moved with a confidence born of power and experience with its application.

Though the others drew some mild interest from him, Saffron focused the bulk of his thought onto Ranma, his new brother. Despite the flag of peace they proceeded under, the pig-tailed warrior looked ready to rain destruction upon them at the slightest sign of attack. To see such a thing from one who was his kin saddened him greatly. He could not fault Ranma however, what he did to the teen and his friends was beyond the pale. All he could do now was try and make amends for his prior actions.

With arms outstretched in a gesture of openness and non-violence, the godling stepped forward and smiled as best he could. "Hello Ranma. I come on a mission of peace."

The part of Ranma which still harbored ill-will towards the Phoenix and their king wanted nothing more than to charge the kid and wipe the smile from his face. It was held in place by his iron will and the remains of Cygnus' prior spell. And though Saffron appeared genuine in his greeting, Ranma folded his arms across his chest. He opened his mouth to speak but when nothing would come he turned to Cygnus, "Can you help?"

Smiling at her love's request, the winged woman nodded and stepped forward to place herself at the center of attention. "You must forgive Ranma, though he accepts your peaceful overtures his past with you makes it hard for him to trust you completely."

Lowering his arms with a sad sigh, Saffron nodded, "I understand. What we did that day was unforgivable and I vow that we all will work hard to try and repair the damage we caused. Isn't that right Kiima?" Though some would think that question to be a veiled order they would be wrong. He knew her to be an honorable woman and was completely sure that she would do the right thing.

The Akane lookalike stood straighter and looked her former foe in the eye. "Yes, Lord Saffron. I apologize for my own actions that day, they were not befitting one of my stature."

Even more than Cygnus' spell, the words of those before him went a long way to ameliorating his feelings in regards to them. For most of his life apologies had always been a one-way street. He would apologize for his father, for some infraction he himself committed, or just to make someone feel better. People rarely, if ever, apologized _to_ him, their actions being regarded as righteous. Only since leaving Nerima had there been people asking him for forgiveness. To hear the boy's words of regret and his desire to fix the mistakes of the past spoke rather loudly in Ranma's mind.

Unfolding his arms and taking up a more casual stance, the beginnings of a smile took hold on his face. "Okay. I'll give ya yer chance. So ya can come on in, but leave yer weapons out here."

The various members of the Phoenix retinue looked at one another with expressions of disbelief. Though they had shed, at Nabiki Tendo's order, their usual garb for their more modern fare, their weapons were still sequestered upon their person. For the larger ones this required the use of their own version of the Hidden Weapons technique; something they crafted over the long years in the Bayankala Mountains. That Ranma was able to detect their presence was simply amazing.

Still, whatever their mental state each member of the expedition withdrew their implements of death and laid them out on the ground behind some bushes. More than one of their number were grateful when Cologne came over and, using some Amazon techniques, concealed the weapons from even the most probing of examinations. There were several family heirlooms among their number and the thought of them being stolen was physically painful. With the priceless items properly hidden, everyone moved inside to commence the conclave in earnest.

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"You called Master Ranma?"

Seated at the head of the Alexander dining-room table, Ranma looked at the butler gratefully. "Yeah. Can you get us some tea and some glasses of hot water for our guests?"

Willikins nodded and glanced at the assembled group. Having a fair amount of experience with his new master's eccentricities, he mentally added towels to the list of items needed to be fetched. "Very good, sir."

As the prim and proper man left the room, Ranma turned his attention back to the others. Seeing the surprised expressions on their faces caused him to grin. _"I wonder if this is what Nabiki feels like when she's ahead of the game?"_ "What?"

"I must admit," started Saffron with some embarrassment, "I am surprised that you wish my people to be in their birth forms." 

He waived off the concern as if it were nothing. "Thanks to Kasumi I'm tryin' to be a little more diplomatic. I bet Kiima and the others'd like to get some time in their birth forms. I know I'm always itchin' to be a guy after a while as a girl."

From across the table one of the female guards, Khoti, nodded vigorously. "You got that right! I'd kill to be a guy again!"

Sitting next to the eager part-time woman, one of the male guards sighed, "I _said_ I was sorry!"

Kiima's face flushed red with embarrassment as she glared at her two subordinates. "Quiet! These proceedings don't need your inane bickering."

"Yes," agreed Cologne readily. "Our hosts doubtlessly wish to know why you are here." Though it was true that she enjoyed the chaos youth often brought with it, in situations such the Matriarch found it most counterproductive.

"I have to come to meet with you, Ranma," stated Saffron pointedly. "Several weeks ago I sensed the birth of one of my kind, a fellow Phoenix. After being alone for so long I was compelled to seek out this new brother. Of course, my people were all too happy to help. Though I must confess to taking some delight in seeing the incredulity on Kiima's face when I finally told her that you were that relative."

Ranma chuckled at the grimace on Kiima's face, something which earned him a very Akane-esqe glare. A short while ago such a look would have cowed him, but no longer; it merely threw fuel on the fire. "It probably looked like my face when I heard _you_ were here."

"I bet," giggled Saffron, sounding more like the young child he appeared to be. After several moments of mirth, a time not at all helped by the incredulous expressions his people displayed, the god-king regained his composure once more. Looking at the winged woman appraisingly he said, "Am I to assume that you are Kasumi Tendo?"

Before Cygnus could reply, Willikins reappeared with the requested items. The next few minutes were spent handing out tea and hot water. Once everyone was returned to their natural shapes, and the manservant left the room, she turned her attention back to Saffron's question. "When I am like this I prefer Cygnus, but yes."

"So mother _did_ empower you," crooned Saffron happily. "I thought as much the instant I laid eyes on you." He eyed her critically, paying special attention to Cygnus' delicate, yet powerful, wings. "Though I only expected to find a brother, a sister is a happy bonus."

"Why thank you," smiled Cygnus prettily.

"You're more than welcome," replied the boy before turning his attention to the second oddly-dressed woman in the room. "And what, might I ask, is your name? The style of your outfit is familiar, I just cannot place it."

"I am Sailor Pluto, Senshi in the service of Princess Serenity and Guardian of the Gates of Time. It is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of such a long-lived individual as yourself, your majesty." As was usual for events surrounding Ranma and Kasumi, Pluto couldn't see where this was going or what could possibly come of it. She did not need temporal sight however, the immortal woman could feel the importance of this event in her bones.

The god-king's eyes grew wide even as the rest of his face fell with sorrow. "Ah yes, the Silver Millennium. The fall of your people was one of the reasons I came to Earth. You have my deepest condolences for your loss, Lady Pluto." As he bowed his head in respect, Saffron was gratified that those with him followed suit. The tale of the Senshi, and the fall of their proud kingdom, was one he made sure to impart to his people.

Though the events in question were positively ancient, and her tears for the dead long spent, Pluto felt her eyes burn with unshed tears at the Phoenix's show of respect. "Thank you, Lord Saffron," she said as she bowed her head as deeply as the king's. "My Princess and her court will be happy to hear of your words."

"But I thought them dead?"

Pluto smiled in that little way she did when she had all the cards. "It is a long, and somewhat convoluted story, but suffice it to say the Princess and the rest of the Senshi have been reincarnated in this modern era."

Saffron beamed with the news. "Excellent! Are the Senshi the allies Cologne referred to when she told me of your waiting to attack those who bested the Musk?"

"No," said Ranma with a shake of his head. "There're other Avatars out there that we're waitin' for. We just kind of stumbled onto Pluto and the others and the Old Ghoul and I've been training them ever since."

From across the table Shampoo bobbed her head eagerly. "Is true! Sailor girls is too too good magic warriors. Not so good fighters," she added with a grin directed towards Pluto. In the time since their training began something of a rivalry had developed between the Senshi and her. While transformed they would often show off their skill with magic, accomplishing deeds which were most astounding. When they were nothing more than ordinary school girls though, the purple-haired Amazon took great joy in displaying the efficacy of her own ways; something which garnered more than one envious stare.

Instead of bristling at the comment, Pluto sighed and smiled ruefully. "Yes, the girls still have an unhealthy dedication to their more frivolous pursuits. Especially in this time of crisis."

"Well I am sure that Kiima and my guard will be more than assist in their training." A quick glance at his fellow Phoenix saw each of them nodding in support of their lord's statement. "As Elder Cologne can attest, the power of Phoenix techniques is not something to be ignored."

"Indeed they are not. Though, Lord Saffron, I would like to add that your flight gives your people a decided advantage." Seeing him grin and nod, Cologne continued, "The Phoenix should prove a valuable ally, not only in training the Senshi but in dealing with Draco's armies when the time comes."

"Draco? Why is _he_ the one behind this," asked Saffron with shock.

"He has been possessed by a being known as Chaos," replied Cygnus sadly. "It's our hope that we can save him from the torment gripping him."

"Yes. That it is our kind perpetuating this dreadful evil makes our mission that much more important. Lady Pluto! Is there a way we can contact your compatriots? The sooner we can meet with them, and begin their training in earnest, the better."

There was no watch on Pluto's slim wrist, she had no need for them. In her mind's eye the time was displayed quite clearly. "You are correct. We are set to have a training session in less than an hour. I think that will be the prefect time to meet them."

"Then I suggest we break this gathering and make haste to the Shrine," said Cologne as she rose from her chair. "After all, we would not want to be later than Usagi."

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To her chagrin, when Luna and Usagi crested the final step of the almost mountainous stairs leading to the Cherry Hill Shrine, the transformed cat saw that everyone else was already present and ready for the day's proceedings. Normally she prided herself on her punctuality yet somehow time seemed to have escaped her today. "Sorry Ranma," apologized the dark-haired young woman as she bowed, "Usagi was helping me find some clothes."

Instead of looking disappointed or angry, the pig-tailed martial artist merely chuckled heartily. "No problem. Just get inside and get changed. We've got some introductions to make before we start anyway."

It was then that the humanized cat noticed the additional people gathered to the side of the Senshi group. What had once been a mild sense of embarrassment at being late changed instantly into full-blown mortification. With a startled "Meep," the young woman grabbed hold of Usagi and drug her inside, performing in the process a rather faithful reproduction of the fictitious A-ko's morning run to school.

When she returned Luna's face was still blazing red but she _had_ shucked her prior outfit for a set of work out clothing. Seeing the look on befuddlement about Ranma the embarrassed woman looked him in the eye. "I don't want to be a liability the next time something goes wrong around me."

Ranma stared at her for several moments, his face an inscrutable mask which no one could penetrate. Eventually the mask faded and in its place was a wide grin. "Smart thinking. Fall in and we'll see where you stand later on."

As the Senshi's ranks moved about to make room for their once-absent leader and her advisor, Ranma surveyed the force arrayed before him. Any one of these girls, save possibly Setsuna, wouldn't have lasted a minute in Nerima outside of their powered up forms; Shampoo was right when she said that. Yet behind their frail shells the martial artist was continuously surprised by the strength of will and magic he found within them.

"Okay! I know ya lot've been eyeing the new guys since ya got here. Ryu, wave," he added with a pointed look at the fighter in question. When his brother did as was commanded of him Ranma turned back to the rank and file, "Is the newest Avatar. I'm sure Makoto and Minako have already filled ya in about the latest fight." A series of nods proved to him that the Senshi gossip machine was well in place. "Well he goes by Ursus transformed and like this he's one of the few who can give me a real fight." The newfound looks of awe the others sported filled him with a sense of brotherly pride. "As for the others, they're the Phoenix. The kid is Saffron and the girl who looks like Akane is Kiima. They'll, along with Ryu, be helping the Old Ghoul and me to train you guys."

After that dry, if not inflammatory, speech Ranma broke everyone into groups. In that, more than most anything else, he was grateful for the arrival of Saffron and the others. Before, these training sessions were group affairs with none of the personal time each girl needed. Now the fighters could really focus on the various aspects of their pupil's strengths and weaknesses. Makoto and Haruka, predictably, required the least amount of targeted work, they only really needed some more focus to hone the skills they already possessed; though the latter had some aggression problems when fighting. On the other end, those who required the most attention where Ami and Michiru, neither of which liked the strenuous exercise training normally called for. In the middle lay everyone else, save Hotaru whom mainly worked on getting her stamina up.

Throughout the session Ranma, as the appointed sensei for these proceedings, made sure to spar against each of the girls to personally see where they were. None of them would ever be a martial artist on the level of the Nerimans, they simply lacked the dedication the art truly required, but they were definitely improving. There was a time, he reflected, when merely improving would not have been enough for him. It was one of the reasons he always secretly feared the running of a dojo. With his friends as a training aid for him, Ranma felt his confidence grow by leaps and bounds.

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Much later, after the day's activities were concluded and everyone went their own separate ways, Ami Mizuno was asleep in her bed. As it had many times of late, her body writhed about the stiff mattress. Like a lover, her sheets, at least those that hadn't been tossed aside by her motions, were wrapped around her naked body. From the blue-haired teen could be heard the sighs and moans of a woman in the throes of passion. It was clear that she was dreaming and that the contents thereof were the sort that any woman worth her salt would die to have.

Slowly, the young woman reached out to her invisible lover. Her slim hand ran up its unseen form until it cupped a nonexistent face. "Oh yes, Khoti," she moaned happily.

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Author's Notes: Well hello again, long time no see. I hope you've enjoyed this latest chapter. Sorry it has taken so long but my focus has been elsewhere as of late. But fear not, for as far away my focus may shift, I _will_ finish this story; even if it takes a few more years. Just you all are in the know, since the last time I updated this story I was able to finish writing not one but two books and have gotten a good way into a third. Once they are out for publishing I'll point you all in that direction.

Also, in the time since I last updated, I have posted a side story to this. In case you guys missed it, the story goes under the title SitS A Nerima Sidestory. It's about Konatsu and Ukyo and I hope you guys like it.

A quick note concerning Ranma's speech. Yes I know its constantly shifting so don't worry about it.

Now some of you may be wondering why I keep on giving Ranma family. As is described in the manga, Ranma is a boy who has been kept away from anything like loved ones. In normal people children who have grown up in such a way react one of two ways when they are older. Some become more and more introverted until they are like Shinji Ikari while others seek out companionship where ever they can find it. Given his behavior in the manga and show, I feel as if Ranma would fall into the second category. And in many ways Ryu Kumon had the same childhood, so it only seemed natural to me that he would reach out too.

Well, that's about all I had to say. Keep the faith.

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People


	11. Senshi on Ice

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners. For the purposes of this story those would be Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Chapter 10 - Senshi on Ice

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Far away from the island nation of Japan, across the vast expanse of the Pacific ocean, rolling over the hills and plains of America, stretching over the Gulf of Mexico, and on the northern edge of the Caribbean Sea was situated the even smaller island nation of Jamaica. People the world over were gathered on the tropical destination seeking fun and relaxation in the sand and surf. On one clothing-optional beach a particular person found his surroundings to be perfectly divine.

"Well Happosai, you'd always said you wanted to get away from it all. You can't get much further away than here," muttered the old lech happily as he eyed a particularly voluptuous guest from behind the safety of his sunglasses. "Shame it took pissing off Ranma to get you here."

The wedding fiasco was, upon further introspection, not one of his finest hours. It had always been his intention to drop in and put a stop to the proceedings, Akane was not the sort of person who could handle someone like Ranma. In her own way Tendo's youngest was a good girl but in his opinion she needed an average guy, certainly not someone as wild as his heir.

What Happosai had never intended was to drink the cask of Nannichuan. He'd just seen it and assumed it was merely celebratory sake. People might think him cruel and heartless but that only really applied to training. Had he known the cask's true contents he _would_ have stolen it but he'd also explain why. Taro was a perfect example as to the dangers of mixing curses. Of all those seeking a cure Ranma was the _last_ person who needed two curses combining. And if they doubted him? Well Genma could always use a bit more humility.

Unfortunately the mistake was made and, instead of staying around while tempers were still running high, Happosai hopped the first plane out of the country for some much needed distance. The plan, if one could call it that, was to get away for a while and give everyone time to cool off. Only then would he return with a sincere apology for so casually dashing a brave young man's one hope.

Speaking of plans and the brave, everything he'd intended was thrown out the window one day several weeks ago by a news report. While in the midst of enjoying his self-imposed exile the Anything Goes Grandmaster saw the footage from Ranma and Kasumi's heroic battle against the oddly-dressed foe. Where another might have found the quickest means of transport back to Japan to aid the two teens in their newest endeavor Happosai refrained from such foolishness. Even from Jamaica, the ancient martial artist could feel the invisible hand of Destiny at work and if there was one thing he'd long since learned about Destiny it was that she could be a cruel bitch to those who muddied her work.

So he stayed in paradise, a wolf amongst the sheep. There he would remain until it was time to make a return, a time his old bones would surely tell him about. Of course the old bones weren't so old anymore, not since that lamentable day. Looking down at his tanned and trim and, above all, tall, body, Happosai just had to smirk happily. "Well I guess I did something good when I drank that water," he muttered as he caught a very attractive woman eyeing him with an appreciatory air. "Who'd ever guess that drinking the stuff would give you a curse too? I'm just glad I had a way of locking me like this."

Putting on something of a show, Happosai stood and made his way over to the blonde woman. _"Hmm yes, I think Ranma really needs something special for the gift he gave me,"_ he thought with a mental smirk.

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"You know, I just don't understand the people here. I get a little mad and pull a door off its hinges and suddenly everyone's running away," grumbled Kiima as she pushed her scrubbing brush along the grain of the wooden floor.

Kneeling next to the cursed woman, Rei grinned at her discomfort. "Hey, that's Juban for you. People around here have gotten used to weird things signaling a visit from the Senshi. The last thing they want is to be in the middle of that much property damage."

Nodding, Kiima dunked her brush in a nearby bucket before returning it to the floor before her. "Yes, I have noticed that about your battles. Though I am happy to say that you all seem to be minimizing that sort of thing these days."

A blush formed on the shrine maiden's face and she began scrubbing the floor with a bit more force. Thoughts of the damage she had personally caused in attempting to take out a Youma or some other dark foe came to the fore. "Well when your teachers can take out someone with a precision strike it kind of makes a girl want to change how she does things." To her surprise Kiima began to laugh. The sound was so pure, so infectious, that soon enough Rei felt herself joining in her comrade's merriment.

In the three weeks since she'd agreed to let the Phoenix use the shrine grounds as a base of operations Rei never had a reason to regret the decision. The small group of cursed people were the best guests she could ever hope for. They were always eager to earn their keep and repay her kindness in letting them stay. Any time she'd ask for help one or more of their number would jump up to assist. More than once one of them had taken over her kitchen, preparing meals for her and the others unlike any she had ever tasted.

Yet she enjoyed their presence for more than just the help. For the first time since becoming a Senshi she had others she could talk to besides Usagi and the rest of the team. They knew what it was like to be burdened with responsibility, what it meant to be a warrior. With them she was able to open up about things that her Grandpa and her friends would never understand, or that she was too afraid to broach. Even with the revelation of his knowledge _vis-a-vie_ her position as a Senshi, the years of secrecy made it hard to talk with the relative she loved so dearly.

"Well I'm glad that we've been of assistance," smirked Kiima. Though she didn't know it, the Guard-Captain appreciated her time with Rei as much as the teen did. Back home she'd been so dedicated to her goal of gaining her position that she never even considered what she had to give up in the process. Only now, so far away from the places she pledged herself to, did she realize just how much of a sacrifice it all had been. And though she did not regret the decisions of her life, the young woman was grateful that fate gave her a second chance to experience some of what she had lost.

"Hey, I just thought of something," said Rei suddenly. "How about, when we're done, you and I go out and do some shopping, maybe catch a movie."

With a hint of caution Kiima turned to look at the girl beside her. Though she saw none of what she suspected in the raven-haired woman's face, she couldn't be sure that it was not buried beneath a pleasant face. "Do not take this the wrong way," she began slowly, "but I don't personally find you attractive."

Rei rocked back as if she had been shot. "What," she asked with a strangled cry. "What the hell gave you the idea that I wanted to date you?"

Breathing a sigh of relief at the un-falsified outrage, Kiima then took it upon herself to smooth out the feathers she'd just ruffled. "Forgive me Rei. After seeing Haruka and Michiru, along with how Ami and Khoti have been getting along, I feared that you preferred woman as well."

The shrine maiden blushed at what Kiima said. Admittedly, the warrior had a point. Taking a look at their team from an outside perspective would really lend credence to the fear that they were all, at some level, into women. Hell, all of them were surprised with Ami asked Khoti out after practice one day. Since then the two were practically glued at the hip. And given the unfortunate accident with Khoti's curse, the fact that the two were together cast a suspicious light on the rest of them.

"Well I don't," replied Rei hastily. "I just have a hard time finding a guy who can look past my 'weirdness'," she admitted with some sadness. Thanks to her position as a Senshi, what turned men off of her only increased. These days finding a date was a Diogenean task.

Kiima nodded with a sad smile of her own. "I know what you mean. There are not many men who approach a woman who becomes the Guard-Captain for Lord Saffron. It is like they are afraid I may break something off."

Though the sentiment was sad Rei couldn't help but giggle at the image Kiima painted. "So how about it? Want to go out, as friends and _nothing_ more."

"I would be honored," replied the transformed woman with a smile. There were not many who sought her friendship for the sake of being her friend and she would be dammed before she turned down an offer so freely given. "Incidentally, and this is just me being friendly, but any man who does not want you should have his head pulled out of his ass."

Rei felt a spark of confident gratitude. "Thanks. And while I don't know anything about Phoenix standards of beauty, I _do_ know you look damn good too. We'll need to get you an outfit or two which can make them see that."

The woman with Akane's curse smiled as an expectant gleam formed in her eyes. "That sounds fun."

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"You know, I never thought I'd have so much fun just reading," said Khoti as he sat on the Mizuno couch.

Her head on the narrow shoulder of the sometimes-woman beside her, Ami looked up at the person she'd been dating and smiled brilliantly. "I knew you would. It was just a matter of finding the right book."

Khoti looked down at the angelic face and returned the smile with one of her own. Gently, she took an arm and wrapped it around Ami and pulled her even closer. "Oh I don't know. I'd say that the company had something to do with it."

Ami's blushed with happy embarrassment. "You may be right." As she was pressed against Khoti's exquisite feminine form, the young genius contemplated the changes in her life. Before becoming a Senshi she'd never expected to find herself enjoying being so intimate with a woman, even if the woman in question was really a man. Even after the dreams started Ami was positive that she would never be in a relationship with anything like the beautiful creature at her side. Yet here she was, mere inches from Khoti's nipples, and enjoying every moment of it.

It had been one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of her life, asking Khoti out. For whatever reason Ranma decided that the striking woman was perfect to be her trainer. Khoti was tough yet compassionate and was always ready to inject a bit of humor when Ami felt her spirits falling. At the end of their training she, along with the rest of the Senshi, were surprised to see their new comrades transform into winged humans. Ami was especially amazed to see that beautiful woman become a handsome man. Though she had grown used to it with Ranma, seeing someone else do it was something else.

After that, the arrival of another dream was to be expected. As with others it was passionate and left her aching for more in the morning. So did the one on the next night, along with the one after that, and the one after that. By the fourth night she was running so ragged that she forgot to study for a test! In light of such an impossible situation the only thing she could do was confront the target of the dreams. Once training was done for the day she approached Khoti not as a student but as a woman. Her body shook so badly that it felt as if her teeth would vibrate out of her skull yet it didn't stop her mission. With her friend's eyes watching her every move Ami asked the beautiful creature out on a date and to her joy Khoti accepted.

The date was, in light of her limited experience, a rousing success. More than once Ami caught a glimpse of others staring at them. She didn't let the surprise and disapproval of others put a damper on their fun. Besides, it gave her a giddy thrill to know that the woman at her side was really an angelic man. As a date Khoti was a perfect gentleperson. She treated her kindly and made an effort to engage in the conversation, even when Ami started to tread rather deeply into subjects on which the guard had no knowledge; something which runs off most people. At the end they separated to retire to their individual dwellings but not before a hug and a promise of future outings.

That night, instead of dressing for bed like the good girl she so desperately tried to be, Ami went to sleep naked in preparation of yet another night of the dreams. Dreams did fill her night, but not ones of passion. Instead her sleep was occupied with gentle, but ultimately common, scenes which were forgotten with the dawn yet left behind a deep sense of emotional fulfillment. In fact, since that first date the dreams of sex had not returned. Upon reflection, she found that it made sense.

Ami was always so isolated, so confined in her sexuality. As the others dated and dreamed of more carnal pursuits, she threw herself that much deeper into her studies. Self-gratification of a sexual nature rarely, if ever, occurred in her life. Though the woman in her longed for such things the child still remembered the warnings of her mother to not fall prey to lust's sway. That such talk took place in the wake of a bitter divorce meant little to the child, it only remembered the pain on her beloved parent's face. So she locked that bit of her away until the pressure built up to cataclysmic levels. Once she took the step of embracing the woman, and going on a real date, the dreams were no longer necessary, their true purpose fulfilled. Now she could get on with her life without having to worry about her passions running wild, though the locker room was still an exquisite torture.

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With some reservation, Usagi peered at the address in her hand before checking it against the nearby storefront. This part of town wasn't one she visited often. Books, art, and coffee were three things she wasn't particularly fond of and this place had them in spades. When Setsuna, the Senshi's resident mystery woman, requests a meeting, however, one tends to go wherever was required; even if she seemed to be more woman than mystery these days. Seeing that the address and shop weren't about to spontaneously change into something more appealing, Usagi squared her shoulders and opened the door.

The coffee shop was quieter than any eatery the young woman ever visited before. Most of the shops she frequented were filled with the sounds of arcade goers and those trying to speak over the cacophony of alarms and digital explosions. While it lacked the fury, the shop more than made up for its deficiency with an homey intimacy. _"I can see why she picked this place,"_ thought Usagi as she spied her contact, _"it really fits this new Setsuna."_

Seated at a small table in a corner of the shop, Setsuna silently sipped her beverage as she read from a rather dense looking book. Instead of some fashionable dress, the green-haired woman was garbed in a pair of jeans and a sweater. To Usagi's point of view, she looked like a college student seeking a few minutes of quiet relaxation before returning to the grind of papers and tests. So relaxed did she appear that the teen questioned the wisdom of interrupting her but she moved towards her none the less.

"Hello Usagi," said Setsuna softly, her eyes never leaving her book.

The teen sat in the chair across from her Senshi. "Um, hi."

Setsuna remained fixated on her book for several more moments before sighing happily and marking her place. "Ah, don't you just love reading," she asked her companion.

"Um, I guess. I mean, I do like to read manga. Does that count?"

She smiled as she sat her book on the table beside her. "Reading is reading. People start with picture books, move on to comics, and end up with novels. The path is the same the speed just changes for each of us."

"I never thought about it like that," said Usagi with happy wonderment. She'd been nagged about her reading habits before and to have an excuse was very satisfying.

"We rarely do," replied Setsuna in her capacity as a wise elder. Without blinking she turned to the approaching waitress, "Hot chocolate with double chocolate and quadruple sugar. Oh, and some chocolate chip cookies. Thanks."

As the slightly-stunned waitress walked away Usagi stared at her companion in awe. The amount of times the two women had interacted in any meaningful way could be counted on her hand and yet Setsuna was able to order something which made her mouth water with diabetic anticipation. "Th-thanks."

"Think nothing of it. Their chocolate is some of the finest in the city. The perfect spot for a meeting, wouldn't you agree?"

"Mmm hmm. Sounds great. But why ask for the meeting in the first place?"

Instead of answering, Setsuna countered with a question of her own. "So tell me, how are you and Mamoru doing."

Though the question surprised her, Usagi quickly found herself falling into the pink haze which always accompanied thoughts of her muffin. "We're doing wonderful," she said dreamily.

"And how is he handling recent events? I know he isn't the most change friendly person out there." It was odd. Before meeting Justin Setsuna had always been focused on the mission. She'd guard the Gates and occasionally go out to get some fresh air. Now, after being around the Alexanders for a while, the green-haired guardian realized just how much she missed gossiping with her fellow females. It was a wonderful activity and one she gleefully embraced.

Usagi knew what she meant. Flashes of the Black Moon fiasco popped through her mind to darken the brightness of her thoughts. "He's keeping up, I think. Having a guy like Ranma around seems to be helping him too."

"He probably doesn't want to hear another one of his, 'You call that manly,' speeches again," giggled Setsuna as she thought about some of Ranma and Mamoru's interactions.

They continued in that fashion for several minutes, just talking about everything and nothing. Neither woman ever really talked to each other and they both relished the opportunity. Both learned surprising things about the other and found their respect for each other deepening. It was only once Usagi's food and drink arrived that the real conversation began.

Stirring her coffee nervously, Setsuna looked at her Princess with an uneasy expression. "I don't think Crystal Tokyo is going to happen."

Her hand stopped midway between the plate of cookies and her mouth. The teen hero's face was blank as she stared forward in silence. She stayed like that for a good minute before the cookie continued on its way. As Usagi chewed it was clear that she was deep in thought. Once she was done with that bite, the young woman put her treat back on the plate. "It's Ranma and the others, isn't it," she asked softly.

Setsuna released a breath she didn't realize that she held. Though the girl didn't freak out as she feared, the Senshi of Time still feared a blow up. "Why do think that?"

"They're so different from anyone I've ever met. I see Ranma with Kasumi and he's so gentle and kind, like a prince. But then in a fight it's like someone flips a switch and suddenly he's strong and ruthless. The others are all the same way yet when he gives an order they immediately follow it. He and Cologne, they're leaders. When I look at them I wonder what made me think I had the stuff to rule a kingdom," she said with some bitterness. "I mean, who was I kidding? Ami has the smarts, Rei the passion, Makoto the strength, and Minako the beauty, that just leaves me with clumsiness and sweets."

"Usagi . . . " In imagining this conversation Setsuna never predicted for the girl to turn on herself like she had. It was a drastic change from the perpetually peppy young woman she came to know.

"I know, I know. You can do anything, you're better than you're saying, I've seen and said them all. But you and I both know that, when compared to the others, I'm pretty much the weak link until everything else is lost. And I wondered why Luna and Rei were always being so 'mean' to me," she laughed bitterly.

This wasn't good, that much Setsuna was sure of. She'd always wondered how deep Usagi's ability to handle criticism went and now she was staring at the bottom of the well. It was clear that soothing her worries wouldn't work, such things would probably only irritate her more, so she decided to try a different route. "You're right. You're lazy, you don't apply yourself, and you live in a fantasy world which is nearly detached from reality."

Seeing the girl crack under the weight of her words made Setusna want to stop but she knew she couldn't. There was a band-aid on Usagi's feelings and the best way to fix that is to pull hard. So with a heavy heart she continued on her path. "When it comes to raw leadership you are seriously lacking. In fact, probably every one of us has better leadership skills than you. But unlike the rest of us, _you_ are the leader. So tell me, how are you going to bolster your deficiencies?"

If it weren't for Ranma she'd probably be sobbing at that moment. In training her pig-tailed friend became positively cruel in both word and deed. He yelled at them all, called them lazy, slow, and weak. He would taunt them even as he pushed them onto the ground. Not even Kasumi was immune to the barrage. Once the Sensei persona dropped, however, he explained his behavior. Seeing as they were in desperate need of improvement and had little time to do so, Ranma took a page from his father's handbook and pushed them until they nearly broke from the strain. By acting like a tyrant he encouraged rebellion. With each taunt their desire to wipe away his smug smirk made them dig down to find reserves none of them knew they had. It was only his kind demeanor and ample apologies off the field which showed them all that Sensei and Ranma were two different people.

Hoping Setsuna's words were trying to achieve a similar effect, Usagi stifled her hurt feelings and reached out for the same frame of mind Sensei required. "First," she said with only the slightest tremble to her voice, "tell me about the Queen I was going to be."

The mistress of Time saw the seriousness of Usagi's request and decided to give her both barrels. "Neo-Queen Serenity was, in a word, terrible. The Queen was vain and shallow, seeing things only in terms of beauty and happiness. Since she never tried to seek out information on what a ruler should be like, she acted more like an overbearing parent. She set down countless laws designed to make the kingdom fall in line with her rose-tinted view of the world. Though she always had the good of the people on her mind, it was always what she narrowly thought of good. Humanity survived but they did so constrained by the Queen's naive worldview."

When Usagi asked to hear her future she knew she wouldn't like what she heard. The young woman never expected things to be quite that bad though. It especially hurt to be called vain, naive, and shallow, even it was by proxy. "What about the other countries? If she was so bad of a leader how did she get them to follow her?"

"They didn't have much of a choice. In twenty years or so a massive asteroid nearly hits the planet. Before it can get close enough the Queen uses the crystal to destroy it. Unfortunately she never took the time or effort to properly train with it so her control was as meager as always. So instead of pushing the asteroid into a geosynchronous orbit from which people could mine it, she blew it up and, in the process, sent debris crashing across the globe. The impacts did large-scale damage to the environment, sending the planet into a new ice age. A large percentage of the population perished in the elements or the wars for resources. In such a climate the Queen was able to rule unopposed."

Usagi slowly closed her eyes as grief filled her heart. It was a pain that not even sweets were able to banish. In fact, after hearing the path her sweet tooth took her down, the sugar actually upset her stomach. "She . . . I killed all those people. All because I wanted to be a queen without putting any work into it. Is there any way we can stop that," she asked desperately. Though she'd seen the story many times now, it was only right then that she understood the fear and horror Scrooge must have felt when he saw his own future.

Setsuna sipped her coffee eagerly. "As trite as it sounds, you are already doing it. Aside from fashion trends and the endings of shows, the Queen never asked me what the future held. And before you ask, I did try to get her to change her ways, she wasn't interested. With every success in battle she grew increasingly confident that her way was the right one. Eventually, those of us who were trying gave up and accepted things as they were."

The blonde woman sighed sadly as she nibbled on one of her cookies. "So not only do I kill a whole bunch of people, I ignore my friends and advisers to do it." For the next few minutes she sat in silence while absently eating her snack. Her mind was on fire with fear, sorrow, and planning. "Setsuna," she finally said, "if I ask you to do something for me, will you?"

"If it's in my power and purview, then yes."

"Don't let me become her," said Usagi flatly. "Do whatever you have to, but don't let me turn into a monster."

Looking into those blue eyes, Setsuna could see the fires of determination burning with the young woman. The sight helped banish her fears for the future. "Done. But I can't do it alone. You will have to work to keep yourself on the path."

"I know," smiled Usagi. "Though if this is a way to get me to do more school work then I'll have to introduce you to my tiara."

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Seated next to Marcus, Minako could only distantly hear the sounds of the city. With his arm around her shoulders, the blonde snuggled into the man's warmth and sighed contentedly. She'd been on dates with guys before, more than most would care to keep track of, but they never went past the second outing. Her zeal to find a true love would scare away most and those that it didn't tried to get in her pants. Marcus was different though.

As soon as she laid eyes on him that first time she was drawn by his handsome face and kind smile. Sliding in bedside him she talked as was normal for her, endlessly and on a multitude of topics. While she spoke until she ran out of breath, Marcus sat there with a bemused smile and eyes which said that he was absorbing every word. And when he finally said something it was quite clear that he'd been paying attention.

So they went on their date and soon more followed that first successful outing. He was the quintessential gentleman, the kind of guy she'd longed for since she was a child. If suddenly a mysterious figure started helping them on Senshi activities, Marcus would be the first person she'd suspect. And as she got to know him Minako found herself calming down. She found that she didn't need to throw her personality at him like a whirlwind, she could be calm and steady like he was a friend as well as a boyfriend.

"Marcus," she said as an elderly couple walked by hand in hand.

The dark-haired Alexander looked down at the beautiful in his arms and smiled. His gift hadn't awoken yet, it may never do so, and for that he was grateful. While the others undoubtedly enjoyed the bonds they shared with their loved ones, Marcus liked that he was learning about Minako slowly instead of all at once. "Yes?"

"Do you think you'd ever want to do that," she asked softly.

He looked over at the couple and smirked, "What? Live to one hundred?"

She playfully punched him in the stomach, "No, silly. I mean get married."

Chuckling as he rubbed the spot she hit, Marcus nodded. "I like to consider myself something of a romantic. I've dreamt about settling down with a nice girl and having a couple of kiddies."

Minako looked up at him with astonishment, "You want kids?"

"Don't you," he asked as he arched an eyebrow.

"Well yeah. But I'm a girl."

Marcus laughed heartily. "As a fully functional member of the male gender I'm hear to tell you that some of us want kids just as much as you women."

She mulled that over for a few minutes, turning it this way and that. Quite frankly it surprised her to hear that. Most of the men she'd met were against having children and while she knew older men wanted kids, it was shockingly refreshing to hear one her own age express such a desire. After pondering that for some time another question came to mind. "Um, what kind of girl do you want to marry," she asked in the hope that he wanted her.

The young Alexander stared off into the distance. "Hmm, I guess I'm looking for some who's strong. Yeah, a confident woman with a strong character. She's the type of person who can walk into the room and immediately get the attention and respect of everyone around her. But above all I'd say that she is a kind woman."

As he spoke Minako felt her hope slowly die. Though this woman he described seemed good, the blond was sure she wasn't that person. Yeah guys look at her when she walked past but most people didn't respect her, they just laughed whenever she opened her mouth. It wasn't her fault that she spent a good chunk of her life speaking English. The conversion between languages still confounded her at times and when it did people laughed. Each chuckle, every guffaw, was a hammer strike against her confidence. Oh sure she looked confident and bold but if she was really confident then she wouldn't latch onto a guy as needfully as she did?

"Oh," she said sadly. _"I guess that's another one I'm not right for."_

Sitting up, Marcus moved Minako until they could look each other in the eyes. The pain in her voice rang as clearly as a bell and he wanted to know the cause. "Hey now. What's the matter?"

"N-nothing," she lied as she looked away.

Marcus was having none of that though and turned her head to face him once more. "No, it's bloody not. Just a minute ago you were as happy as a clam and now you sound like someone killed your blasted puppy. So what's wrong?"

"I-I just," she shook her head "no. You're going to think I'm stupid."

"Minako, I've not thought that about you since we met. I don't think I'm going to start any time soon."

Sighing deeply, the morose blond nodded. "I guess I thought that you were going to want a girl like me."

"But I do. The woman I was describing was you, Minako." He gently reached out and cupped her cheek. For a moment his thoughts were derailed by the softness of the flesh beneath his hand. When it passed he continued, "You are the one I picture when I imagine my future. I thought you knew that."

"D-do you really mean that," she asked as she felt her hope build hesitantly.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't, though we may want to postpone the kids part for a few years," he smirked. That got a giggle out of her, something which made him smile warmly and lean in towards her. "And to show you how much I mean it, I hope you don't mind if I kiss you."

In all her time dating, no man had ever asked her permission to kiss her, it was a novel and wholly welcome experience. "I don't mind that at all," she whispered.

Like two stars circling one another, the force of their feelings brought them ever closer until, in one glorious moment, their lips touched. Had there been anyone watching them they would have seen the birth of something warm and real and bright. Such births are a rarity in this cold, cruel world and to see one invigorates both mind and spirit.

For what seemed to be an infinity, new realms of possibilities unfolded before the teens. Eventually their kiss came to an end but the feelings it engendered within them did not. As they slowly pulled apart they looked at each other with eyes filled with wonderment. "Wow," they both said softly.

Her hand still clutching his shirt, Minako's smile looked positively endless. "I think I could get addicted to that."

"Hmm, a kissaholic. That sounds like an addiction I'd like to have," said Marcus leaned in for another.

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"Honestly, sonny boy. I am beginning to suspect that you don't want to get control of yourself. I know people think I'm pretty but it is a little inappropriate for you to want me."

Sitting in a circle of candles, Mamoru shivered at the thought of doing anything romantic with Cologne. This wasn't the first time he'd been in this place, not the first time his goal appeared illusive. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem up to the task of grasping the power laying dormant within him. "I _do_ want it," he exclaimed with frustration. "I just can't. No matter what I do, it won't come."

As she slowly walked around the outside of the candle ring Cologne shook her head. "Yet it should. I know I said that this would take time but this strains credulity. Between pressure points and herbal supplements the meditation _should_ have worked. The only conclusion I can reach is that, consciously or not, you don't want to complete this journey."

"But why wouldn't I? I've been trying as hard as I can."

"Then the problem is compounded. If you consciously wish to attain your true power then, for some reason, your unconscious mind is fighting your efforts. I was afraid of this," she said sadly. "There is no treatment which can fix this. It is something only you can work out." Cologne allowed her student to ponder this a few silent moments before switching tracks. "On an unrelated topic, Son-in-Law and I were curious about your behavior with regards to your teammates."

The change in the conversation caught the dark-haired college student off guard and momentarily moved his focus elsewhere. "In what way?"

"We find it odd that, until you all met us, you rarely attended meetings unless specifically prompted. Also unusual is how, when in battle, you only strike at the last minute and rarely more than once. A most strange pattern given this country's nearly pathological idea of male superiority wouldn't you say?"

Mamoru flushed with anger at the woman's words. "Just what are you insinuating?"

The surprise on Cologne's large eyes was most assuredly false. "Oh dear me! I had thought you capable of understanding my meaning. Perhaps I should have phrased my query as Son-in-Law so crudely put it. Why are you acting like such a stupid pussy?"

"I'm doing the best I can," he roared with outrage. The constant derogatory barrage from Ranma had gone on for too long and he wasn't about to let this old woman do it too.

If Mamoru thought that his ire would cow Cologne, he was sorely mistaken. In an instant she dropped the kindly matron facade and assumed the mantle of Matriarch once more. Up until then she was content in letting Ranma play the role of hard instructor but she was not about to let this foolish male talk back to her. Ranma was a warrior who had earned the privilege of a wagging tongue, Mamoru most certainly not a warrior and she would show him where his place truly was.

Eyes alight with power, Cologne slammed the tip of her staff into the floor, extinguishing every candle in the process. With them out the only source of light was the Matriarch and she looked even more demonic than usual. "Do not take that tone with me, boy! You are not, as you put it, doing your best. Even with your paltry skills you could be far more engaged in combat than you currently are. You possess speed and durability far in excess of normal men yet all you do is stand on buildings and give moral support. I can see why modern girls such as the Senshi believe you to be a noble hero, their minds are half the time fogged by storybook ideals. However, I would think that you would want to be more than simply some teenaged girl's view of manliness. Or is your poor showing merely the product of a lack of desire to be a hero?"

Though he was mentally foaming at the mouth to fire back an angry diatribe of his own, when Cologne gave voice to his secret feelings all of his anger was washed away by a vast ocean of shame. "I-I wanted to be a doctor you know."

"A noble profession," said the elder calmly.

"But not one that requires a lot of midnight runs across rooftops," he laughed bitterly. "I never wanted to do the things I do, or know the things I know. I always figured that I'd go to school, become a doctor, marry a nice woman, maybe have a few kids, and die happy somewhere down the line. All this stuff about magic kingdoms and predestined loves was just dumped on me and I'm supposed to like it. I don't really know how to fight, hell a lot of the early stuff I did wasn't even me."

"So you wish to be rid of this life?"

"Yes," he exclaimed with desperate desire. ". . . I mean no. I-I don't know," said Mamoru with a defeated air. "I love Usagi enough to know that it's not just Endymion influencing me but I wish I'd met her a few years from now when she's really had a chance to grow up. The rest of it, the battles, the dying, the constant fear of a new attack, I don't want any of it."

"Ah ha," nodded Cologne knowingly. "It seems that there _is_ a reason why your meditations are not working. I daresay that they will continue to fail you until you have learned to let go of your previous desires and resolve yourself with how your life has really unfolded. If it were not for your genuine love for Usagi I doubt you would be able to transform at all. I suggest you take the next few days and think very hard about this. But before you go consider something. For every life you can save as a doctor it is more than likely that you could save hundreds more with your power." Having said her peace, the ancient woman turned and left Mamoru to his own devices.

As Mamoru left the Nekohanten that day he did so with a heavy heart. He'd been sure that the problem wasn't with him. His feelings on this life couldn't have been the cause of his block. Now, with the truth before him, he felt like he'd failed Usagi doubly. "Let go of my dreams, yeah right," he muttered angrily as he kicked a piece of trash along the sidewalk. "Why does Usagi and the others get to live their dreams but I have to throw away mine for some stupid life of playing dress up with the monster of the week?"

He just wished he could remember what it was like to be in his Endymion form. When he was there he had no doubts or fears, there was just power and purpose. But when that moment left him he could never seem to retain that presence of mind. "Maybe I'm always going to just be Mr. Emergency."

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Her fists crackling with enough energy to light up Tokyo for a day, Jupiter arced towards the Shade. It was exhilarating, this feeling of power. Since becoming a Senshi this was what she loved the most. For a few seconds in every battle there was a moment where she had control of the whole field. As her power increased so too did the length of those seconds. Then came the others, the ones who could rip apart cars with their bare hands. From them she learned the true meaning of power and how far from it she truly was.

With a mighty crash her electrified fists slammed into the Shade, pumping all that energy into its blackened form. As the lightning arced up and down its body the dread creature let of a pained scream. These newer ones were more elaborate than the early ones, they were faster too. Their heads were now adorned with heavy, metal helmets and their feet had oversized metal boots which would have been comical if the thing wasn't so blindingly fast. No matter how elaborate or fast they may be, the young Senshi vowed to bring an end to them.

As the creature writhed in agony, Jupiter moved in and landed a series of blows to its chest and arms. She knew she really shouldn't feel that way, but the brown-haired Senshi loved these Shades. They could absorb a staggering amount of damage before falling while making the job harder by moving. All told, they were the perfect training dummies. Of course the other Senshi didn't look at things the same way she did. No, when it came to the fight she saw things in a similar light to Ranma and the Amazons.

They knew what it was like to live for the rush of combat. Oh sure, some of them had killed before just as she had but that wasn't the point. To fight, to test oneself against an opponent of equal or greater strength, that was a hell of a way to live. In that respect, Jupiter had long felt like an outsider even among her friends. Around Ranma and the others though her love of fighting was looked upon with respect and admiration. She would always be a Senshi first but Jupiter could see herself going on a long training trip once everything died down.

Moving towards her opponent, she was just about to land a vicious haymaker when she heard, "Scatter!" Without thought, Jupiter turned her forward momentum into a leap over the Shade's head. Even as she cleared its helmet the Senshi of Lightning could feel the soothing caress of Cygnus' healing wave.

The instant her feet were once more in contact with the Earth Jupiter whirled around to look at the Shade. As it had before, Cygnus' magic proved its worth and in the monster's place was an unconscious human. There was a time when she would have moved the victim off the road, maybe waited around for the authorities, and then run off. Now they were more proactive in their approach. Once a Shade was spotted one of the Senshi would call in the police and paramedics thanks to an alteration made to the communicators. In that way there was no waiting for civilian assistance, as soon as a battle was over an Avatar or Senshi would wave them over so the proper authorities could take over; a development which went a long way to helping their public image in the wake of their absence during The Incident.

Once the paramedics were there to take over, Jupiter thanked them for their help and jumped to a nearby building. Standing there with his arms crossed was Ursus. The feral Avatar had been the one who announced Cygnus' arrival, he also happened to be Jupiter's trainer. "So, how did I do," asked the brunette eagerly.

"Much better," pronounced Ursus with gruff approval. "You were able to keep the lightning up for a while longer this time. Saffron's teaching has obviously helped." Given his unique parentage Saffron soon became their magic expert. With his tutelage the Senshi were plumbing the depths of their powers. It was hard work, harder than anything Ranma put them through, and the results were slow, but they were learning a lot.

"Not enough," she grumbled. Seeing the protest forming on his lips, Jupiter waved it away. "I know, I know. We're way better than we were before. But since I've started working with Saffron my memories of the Silver Millennium have been becoming clearer. Back then we weren't all speeches and flashy entrances, we were warriors. I remember ploughing through an army of ten thousand on a world with five moons. Compared to that, we're nothing."

"You're tryin'. And by my book, that's enough for me."

Jupiter smiled at her Sensei, "Thanks! I've still got some time before I have to start on dinner, want to help me on that backflip kick?"

Ursus grinned at the prospect of further training and, in the process, showed his relationship with Ranma. "Sounds fun."

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Kasumi Tendo stalked through the Alexander home like a lioness on the prowl. All those she walked past quickly ran and hid the instant they saw the determination burning in her eyes. Whatever her mission was, none of them wanted to stand in her way.

Inside, beneath the fires and steely resolution, Kasumi felt so incredibly frightened. What she was about to do, who she was about to confront, it could ruin all her plans. All the carefully laid groundwork left to waste away because of a misspoken word. So many relied on the success of her designs yet it could all be undone with a single utterance.

With a deep breath she looked at the door to the room she shared with Ranma. _He_ was in there, working on his homework if she were any proper judge of things. Squaring her shoulders Kasumi opened the door and stepped inside. As was expected, her love sat bent over a desk, his face a mask of intense concentration. For a moment she stopped to take in the manly lines she adored. Of course, had those lines been more round in nature Kasumi would have stared with equal fervor.

Suddenly Ranma stopped his work and it was then that she froze up. _"He knows I'm here,"_ she mentally sweated and in the process forgot that she had a link to his mind.

"Kasumi," asked Ranma as he looked up from his work, "what's wrong?"

Instead of comforting her, his concern only heightened her feelings of dread. Still, Ranma knew she was there now and there was no way Kasumi could delay this encounter any longer. "Ranma. Some of the girls and I got together and bought tickets to see The Golden Pair perform at the arena. Would you like to go with me."

Ranma stared at her for several moments, his face an inscrutable mask. Eventually that mask shattered to reveal a happy grin. "Sure! Sounds great. They're supposed to be really good when they're not stealing anythin' cute or kissin' everythin' with breasts."

She looked at him with unvarnished surprise. "You want to go? Really?"

"As long as that Mikado jerk keeps his hands to himself, I don't mind at all. I just hope yer okay with somthin' turnin' me inta a girl while we're there."

Sighing in relief, Kasumi walked over to her lover and wrapped her arms around him. "I would think all our 'activities' would have shown you how much I don't mind."

He blushed as he remembered everything they'd done together as women. Just a short while ago he would have looked upon anything regarding his girl form with scorn. Now he was getting to close to the point where he enjoyed it as much as his male form; though dresses would always be banned from his wardrobe. "Well yeah, but that's here. I wouldn't want you to be embarrassed to be seen with me like that."

"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma," she said in a tone eerily reminiscent of Nabiki. "I am beginning to think that I will have to make love to you in the middle of Tokyo before you'll realize that I don't care where I am or what gender you are. I," kiss, "love," longer kiss, "you," the last was punctuated by a kiss so passionate that it left both teens yearning for more. "Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," he said as he pulled her into his lap. "When's the show?"

"Tomorrow," groaned Kasumi as Ranma's hand ran across her shapely rear.

"Plenty of time then."

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"I don't get it," said Usagi as she scanned the row of people beside her.

His arm around her to help keep her warm, Mamoru looked at his girlfriend, "Don't get what?"

"Makoto. I mean, why isn't she here too?"

"I thought this was only for couples," he asked quizzically. To be honest, he wasn't quiet sure _why_ he was at the arena aside from the obvious. But given the presence of several other couples it didn't exactly feel like a date. Still, with the other older people present Mamoru didn't feel so out of place.

Usagi flashed her boyfriend a look which clearly said that he simply did not understand. "Of course it is, and that's why Makoto should be here. She's so totally with Ryu."

Sitting nearby, Ranma made a face, "Eugh! No way! A Sensei should ever date his student."

"Well what about us," asked Kasumi. "You're my Sensei and we're dating."

Instead of panicking, Ranma actually became more relaxed, "Nah. We're different. We were together before I started trainin' you. Nothin' wrong with that."

"I see," she giggled. "But seriously Usagi. I don't think Makoto wants Ryu for anything more than the next technique." Kasumi decided to keep quiet about the fact that both teens had expressed sentiments similar to Ranma with regards to a relationship between them.

"Ah man," pouted the blond, "that's no fun at all."

"Speak for yourself," chorused Ranma, Marcus, Khoti, and Haruka.

Simultaneously, their dates all looked at each other and said, "Men." That half of those men were either in a female body or a natural born woman mattered little, at that moment all four shared the same gender.

Being the only two men present who weren't fighters, Mamoru and Justin shared a grin over the heads of their companions. It was the universal male smile which said, "We _could_ say something but we're smart enough not to."

Before said 'men' could say anything, the lights dimmed and music began to play. Sailing in on a smattering of polite applause, the self-named Golden Pair were as graceful as ever. With skillful ease, Mikado Sanzenin lifted his partner, one Azusa Shiratori, into the air. Holding her above him with but a single arm, the pair slid effortlessly across the ice; and in the process became the envy of both men and women. The applause only grew in magnitude at their display of strength and precision.

Just as Mikado appeared to be moving into a position which would allow him to throw his partner high into the air he froze and stared into the crowd icily. It did not take him long to find what he sought and suddenly both he and Azusa said, "They're here."

To the crowd's surprise The Golden Pair ceased their routine and turned their full attention to a point somewhere in the arena. "So," their cold voice said in unison, "you have pierced our disguise. But your powers will fail you this time Phoenix and Cygnus. Shades! Arise!" From their hands balls of black energy shot out to envelop several people in the audience.

As the Shades formed around him, Ranma held his face in his hands. "Damnit," he groaned, "are all the morons from Nerima going to be bad guys?"

Taking a quick moment to kiss their non-powered loved ones, the Senshi stood up and ran for a secluded spot to transform. At the rear of the group, Setsuna looked back at Kasumi, "You take out the guys on the ice! We'll handle the Shades!"

Kasumi nodded once before standing and pulling Ranma up with her. "Ready," she asked as her body flashed white with the power of Cygnus.

A pillar of fire engulfed Ranma and when it went away he was once again in the guise of Phoenix. "Always. Jump!" He didn't check to see if Cygnus followed his command, he instinctually knew she had. Even filled with fire as he was, when the laser-like beam passed beneath his feet felt as if they were plunged into the coldest of ice. "Watch their attacks," he cried out as he flipped himself around a roof beam and headed towards the two skaters.

Seemingly at random The Golden Pair continued to shoot their icy lasers. Soon enough the entire outer wall of the arena, along with a good number of the seats, were covered with a shimmering sheet of ice. Light sparkled across that otherworldly ice but more importantly it reflected the pair's beams, creating a web of deadly frozen light. "Now you see the power of Gemini," they said with unanimous pomposity.

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Crouching behind a block of ice, Tuxedo Mask held onto one of his roses and used it to chip desperately at the frozen covering surrounding a particularly slow bystander. He'd seen them go through Youmas and Generals effortlessly yet the ice was absurdly durable. Over and over he pounded on the ice until it turned red with the blood flowing from his hands. Though the roses were slow to cut through the ice they made quick work of his palms.

With one last fruitless burst of strength the masked hero looked away from the woman whose skin was rapidly adopting an unhealthy pallor. It was his hope that he would find a Senshi with some heat behind them who could melt away this ice. Unfortunately the only thing which greeted his gaze was more ice and even more bodies. And as for Senshi, those present were engaged in combat with the helmeted Shades.

Tuxedo Mask looked back to the woman he was trying to save and felt a wave of despair pass over him. The ice was too cold, it was sending her into shock. Pretty soon she'd be dead and all her would-be rescuer would have to show for his efforts on her behalf are some bloody palms. _"If only I could summon my sword,"_ he thought despondently. _"That much mass would surely break through the ice."_

Neither the sword nor his armor would come however. As always, he could feel their power lurking behind closed doors in the back of his mind. They clawed and scraped at those iron walls yet found no escape. For so long he'd believed that the chains on his power were forged by circumstance or some unknown design. Now the blinders covering his understanding were lifted and Tuxedo Mask knew that it was Mamoru Chiba who blocked his efforts. As it was in the early days, there were two wills doing battle within him. One wanted to live an average life filled with average pursuits. The other wished to rise above such mediocrity and embrace a grander existence. Needless to say, the conflict between the two was maddening.

Then a third voice spoke up and while he knew it sprang from within him it sounded and spoke exactly like Cologne. _"Foolish male! The goals of both sides of your heart are the same, they only vary by degrees. There will always be more healers but warriors who can single-handedly protect whole nations are rare and precious commodities. You do disservice to us all with your shameful dithering!"_

Though the woman wasn't there Tuxedo Mask winced all the same. He could almost feel her cane crashing against the back of his skull, something which made him sympathize with Ranma's occasional winces when he mentioned her. Strident tones or no, the voice had a point. How many people suffered needlessly because he was unwilling to give it his all? Was that the way of a doctor? Was it a violation or an affirmation of the Hippocratic Oath?

Do no harm? It was an easy thing to say in the cold isolation of the hospital. In battle harm was a matter of target. To save a human he had to harm a Youma, a task he'd unflinchingly performed countless times over the years. Yet, instead of taking pride in the number of lives he saved over the years, the masked man bemoaned the life of service destiny thrust upon him. Even the modest man in him was disgusted when he realized the sort of pettiness he engaged in.

With the bile rising, Tuxedo Mask felt the wall crumble. Raising his rose for one last blow, he never noticed it when the flower was replaced by the gleaming sword which was his birthright. As planned the heavy blade shattered the woman's icy prison. Shivering, she bonelessly slid away from the ice under gravity's less than gentle embrace. Even as the doctor aspect to Endymion's mind highlighted what the woman needed, he instinctually reached out and placed a hand upon her head. Though not as magically imbued as the Senshi, the armored man did have power. He channeled it into her still form bringing a healthy color to her deathly pallor.

As the woman got better Endymion grinned and moved on. There were others who needed his help and he intended to give them every ounce of assistance he was capable of.

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"Bout damn time," grumbled Phoenix as he dodged another of Gemini's lasers Then whole Endymion thing had, in his opinion, taken too damn long. Sure, not everyone could learn techniques in hours but there was no cause for dithering all this time.

Of course it wasn't Endymion's slow progress which upset the fiery Avatar so. That unpleasant honor was reserved solely for the skating asses they were fighting. The Golden Pair were bad enough when they were just two morons with their own particular fighting art. With the power of a constellation behind them the goofs were annoying as all hell.

Thanks to their ice powers the whole place was a source of both targets and ammunition. He would dodge their blue beams only to have them reflect off a patch of ice and head back towards him. To someone used to controlling the field of battle, it was a situation that was aggravating. Not helping things was his continuing lack of ease with maneuvering on ice. In this battle, as with the time he'd punched Mikado for kissing him, Phoenix forsook skates and just pounded his way across the battlefield. And like that moment, when he actually managed to get in close the strikes he landed were as powerful as ever.

Unlike her partner and lover, Cygnus practically ruled the battlefield. She flew above the ice with the speed and deftness of a hummingbird. Gemini's attacks were like molasses to her and she used her speed to her advantage. Where possible she would launch attacks of her own, unfortunately the thick ice walls Gemini was able to erect rendered her strikes meaningless.

"You see," taunted the pair as they skated up one wall and down another. "You are nothing compared to the awesome power of our lord Draco."

"No," ground out Phoenix, "what I see is a bunch of morons who couldn't fight for real if yer life depended on it."

The two sides of Gemini froze as solid as the ice they wielded with impunity. Rage unfathomable burned on their collective faces. "How dare you," roared the Azusa piece. "Jean Claude! Destroy them."

As the Shades collectively broke off their attacks and focused their efforts on him Phoenix smiled. Though he was a major player in what looked like, from any distance, a magical girl anime, certain aspects of his life were bleeding through. Dealing with ancient evils from beyond the stars might be outside his expertise but Nerima was Nerima, no matter where it might be. Quickly a plan came to mind and after a few seconds of searching he laid eyes upon the tool he needed to win.

Dodging ice beams and Shades, Phoenix worked his way towards a claw machine hidden away in a corner of the arena. With one sure punch he broke the glass case and wrapped his hand around a most unusual weapon, a stuffed bunny. "Hey Gemini! Look!" Like some sort of demented grenade, he tossed the bunny onto the head of a Shade. Just as he planned, the instant the female half of Gemini saw the stuffed animal their perfect coordination was shattered and with it the Shade's viciousness.

With the Shades stumbling about, the Senshi combat effectiveness increased dramatically. Where once they found themselves fighting defensive actions, now the armored young women were actually whittling down the Shade's numbers. Given enough time, their victory was assured. Unfortunately, time was not a luxury they possessed in any abundance.

After chasing his partner around for several minutes, the Mikado Gemini stopped and erected a thick sheet of mystic ice around him. Safe from Phoenix's fire, he focused all his will upon his errant companion. With his will supplementing her own, the unstable elements from the host were once again suppressed.

Phoenix cursed mightily at the sudden resurgence of his opponents. Not even the arrival of Ursus, along with the last few Senshi, was enough to brighten his black mood. That was, until one of Mars' attacks caught his attention. It was a rather simple spell, just a stream of fire to burn at a pack of Shades, but it created little swirls of air as it passed. To the fighter's eye they looked like mini-tornadoes and when that thought occurred to him so too did another. Slowly, the look of displeasure adorning his face transformed into one of unholy glee as a plan formulated in his mind.

"MARS," he cried out.

Said woman shot off two more bursts of fire before looking towards her trainer and compatriot. "WHAT," she yelled, her voice positively shattering some of the nearby ice.

"FORGET ABOUT THE SHADES! START SHOOTING AT ME!"

Mars looked at him with every bit of incredulity available to her. "ARE YOU INSANE?"

"YES! NOW DO IT!"

To Phoenix's satisfaction, the fiery Senshi didn't ask any further questions and simply complied with his request. As the seething inferno came his way, the Avatar added his own flames to the mix. Trailing fire, Phoenix began moving around the edge of the rink with ever increasing speed. Hotter and hotter he made the flames around him and, as he expected, Gemini kept decreasing the temperature around themselves to stave off the flame's effects. Soon enough a column of fire stood at the center of the stadium.

Technically this wasn't how one was supposed to employ this technique. By all rights the target should be the source of the heat while the attacker was the one pumping out phenomenal amounts of cold. As Saffron learned however, Phoenix was ever one to twist the fundamentals of a technique to suit his own needs.

With his fire nearing the critical point, the pig-tailed hero pulled in every degree of heat and dove towards the confused pair. "Hirryu Shoten Ha Revised: Dragon Descent!"

Instead of the standard funnel of winds which pushed an opponent ever higher, Phoenix's attack drove those in the storm's center straight into the ground. Even the ice in the rink was no match for the pressure of the descending dragon and it shattered into great chunks. Meanwhile in the stadium's seats, the Senshi were torn between awe and terror. Never had they seen such a funnel of death before and it was only their magical strength which kept them from being sucked in like the Shades were.

In one part of the facility, Sailor Moon stood before a group of frightened civilians protectively. In her hands the Moon Scepter was held aloft as she defiantly screamed against the wind. Before her power the typhoon was merely a summer's breeze, though it took every ounce of her strength to maintain the field.

For what seemed like an eternity the elements waged war at the heart of the stadium. Ice and fire danced with deadly purpose. And though it is science's contention that all things will eventually fall to the frigid temperatures of absolute zero, on this day it was heat who proved the victor. With one last staggering roar the column of destruction abated to reveal the devastation its master had wrought.

At the center of the ruble, Phoenix stood over the unconscious forms of his foes. All across his body tongues of fire arced out of rapidly-closing wounds, a testament to the fury which had existed at the storm's center. For both members of Gemini, the damage looked largely superficial, just a collection of bumps and bruises. Though their wounds looked less than their triumphant foe, they were the ones laying amongst the debris.

"Your turn, Cygnus," he said tiredly. More so than the a regular Hirryu Shoten Ha, the revised version had taken a great toll on his reserves. In fact it was all he could do to remain upright.

Sensing her love's exhaustion, Cygnus worked quickly to summon up the purifying power which had been granted to her. As her light washed over the field of battle the angelic woman was grateful to feel Phoenix's reserves filling somewhat. Like the others before them, Gemini tried to fight the effects of Cygnus' beam yet their efforts were for naught. Soon enough there were merely two teens laying peacefully at the center of a circle of destruction while their Constellation was gleefully returning to their home realm. Their master gone, the Shades all vanished as well. Each victim of the evil's plans was resting where their jailer had last stood, bringing a tranquil end to an otherwise brutal fight.

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Walking slowly from the scene of their latest victory against Draco's forces, Minako was as nervous as could be. In the chaos of the battle's start there had been little time for concealment with regards to her transformation. Though he hadn't said anything yet, the young woman could see the questions burning in Marcus' eyes. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze and wanted nothing more than to flee his presence. The young woman could no easier run as she could take flight, not with his hand's firm grip upon her own.

So caught up was she in avoiding his eyes that she nearly missed when he pulled her down an alley. "What are you doing," she asked worriedly. Though she doubted he would try something untoward, there was a certain primal terror their location evoked within Minako.

Never releasing her hand, Marcus forced her to look at him. "I just want to talk."

"This is about the battle, isn't it."

"You're bloody right it is. When were you going to tell me? I mean it was obvious the others knew, so why not me?"

The pain in his words was like a knife to the young woman's heart. It spoke of betrayal and worry and a breach of trust. "I-I wanted to. R-really. I . . . I was just afraid."

"Afraid of what? You can shoot laser beams and call up your friends to kick my ass. I'm nothing compared to that."

Even with his gentle caress holding her head up, Minako cast her eyes downward. "I was afraid you wouldn't want me anymore."

"Wouldn't want you," he asked incredulously. "What about this would make me want you any less than I did before?"

Still looking away, she shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I'm not exactly normal, and you've just seen how a lot of my dates end. I wouldn't be surprised if that scared you off."

Marcus thought about that for a while but from any angle he couldn't wrap his head around her reasoning. "Minako, you're a hero. I mean a real, honest to goodness, cape-wearing, hero. Why should I be scared of someone who sacrifices their life to save others?"

Her heart cautiously filling with hope, Minako raised her head to look him in the eye. "Do . . . do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do," he smiled warmly. "In fact, I think you might just be stuck with me for the duration."

Without hesitation, the young woman threw herself into the arms of her man. As tears of happiness and relief streamed down her cheeks, Minako buried her head into his chest and said, "I do."

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Meanwhile, on a planet so distant that astronomers had no designation for its star, a woman was slowly awakening. The battle had been long and trying. At several points she was sure her opponent had the upper hand and she would fall into that most eternal of darknesses.

Then the other saved her. It sacrificed itself to protect her life. At the time she had been too weak to render any sort of assistance. Now, after having rested from her wounds, the stars once more sang to her. Theirs was a song of sorrow for others whom had fallen.

She added her voice to the mournful chorus as she screamed at the heavens for the god's injustice. Finally, when her throat felt as if it were bleeding, the woman called forth her power and launched herself into space. Amongst the sorrowful choir there was a spark of hope lurking in the background and it was her duty to foster that hope into something grand. So, like a golden comet, the woman headed towards a small planet named Earth.

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Author's Notes: And so ends another exciting installment of Stars in the Sky. I hope you all enjoyed it. I've had some people ask me who all else will be Avatars and speculation has run the gamut of characters. Let me just say that I have already picked them out and that they won't be from any other works beside the two main universes this story draws from. Also, I hope I adequately addressed certain people's theories about who Makoto would end up with. As far as the story goes, all the pairings that will be in the story are in the story as of this end of this chapter. So if x or y is not in a relationship then the odds are they won't be by the story's end.

I know I will probably get some flack for the way I described Neo-Queen Serenity but that is just how I see it going down. I mean, if the Senshi of the past can smoke the Dark Moon clan then you'd think it would have been easy for the ones in the future. The only reason it makes any sense to me is that the Senshi have become so apathetic by the time Crystal Tokyo comes around that they just simply lack the will to fight adequately. Plus, in the show Usagi never really takes a proactive position in learning about her power which is something else I always had a problem with. This way she get's a relatively painless lesson and can become the ruler she was meant to become.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this. See you guys next time.

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People


	12. The Bull's Horns

Chaos Lord Productions Brings You.

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Stars in the Sky

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Written by Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: All entities and devices in this story belong to their respective owners. For the purposes of this story those would be Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi.

WARNING: Extreme OOC ahead. If slavish adherence to the originals are your bag, read no further.

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Chapter 11 - The Bull's Horns

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It was quiet. There was a time when she wanted nothing more than to have all the noise die down to the peaceful levels she'd enjoyed before Ranma came into her life. Never in all those days of bemoaning the chaos he carried with him had she imagined that she would one day miss the raucous atmosphere. Yet here she was, walking through her own home feeling as if she was missing out on something.

Kasumi was gone, off sharing her life with Ranma. There wasn't a day that went by when one of them was on the news, their actions on behalf of the city being lauded by whoever could sing their praises. It was weird to see her sister idolized by a nation when just a short while ago that same woman was known for her cheerful smile and pleasant demeanor. Was this new Kasumi a creation of Ranma's? A more disturbing idea was that she'd always been there and events had conspired to keep her in her shell.

Speaking of people leaving there shells, the changes to Nabiki were simply astounding. At first she thought the brunette was trying out a new, rather elaborate, con. Putting on a kind face was, after all, something she was more than capable of in order to land a big score. But it was hard to tell what her plan could possibly be once Lime and Mint arrived. Watching Nabiki and Lime together, all their hesitant touches and furtive glances, made it painfully clear that the Ice Queen had thoroughly melted. They even went on dates, where she didn't make him pay for everything. Hell, the last one the went on they just stared at the stars for a few hours! Stars! That was a long way from lavish restaurants and fancy gifts.

The only one who seemed to stay the same was herself. She walked through the world and watched it move on without her. Once, the ward seemed to live and breathe for her. Now everyone was caught up in the patriotic fervor of the Incident. Instead of hanging out, her friends were going to soup kitchens and helping out with clothing drives. How could this happen to her? How had she gone from rising star to the one people asked to move aside? In the early days she'd blamed Ranma for her situation. It had been such an easy leap for her mind to take, the glory hog nearly got himself killed and now everyone worshiped him like the new Buddha or something.

Even her father, a man who was once obsessed with his moronic plans for the 'schools', seemed to have given up on her. He just drifted through his days in a stupor, the only one he ever really spent any energy on was Uncle Saotome. Once or twice she had asked him to restart her training, to make her the truest example of the Tendo School. Instead of answering, instead of even perking up, he merely grunted and went along playing that stupid game. How was she to be the best without further training? How could she regain her place in the sun if even her own father seemed content with allowing her to languish in Ranma's seemingly endless shadow?

Those questions, along with countless more, plagued her every waking moment. And with each unanswered question there seemed to arise yet another bout of fiery rage that soon gutted out into bitter depression. So, with rage and depression slowly killing her, Akane Tendo walked through her home as would a specter.

Suddenly a gentle knock at the door shook her, however temporarily, from her funk. Knowing there was no one willing or able to answer the visitor, Akane huffed irritably as she made her way towards the door. That was another thing which was changing as of late. Instead of there being someone else to answer doors or clean rooms, the tasks were increasingly falling onto her shoulders. Except for the cooking, no one seemed willing to let her do that no matter how good she may be.

It was with a lingering sense of hope that she opened the door to reveal a woman with long, luscious, dark hair. Wrapped loosely around her body were silks of a high quality. As Akane took in her strange garb she noted that it did little to cover a bust line far greater than her own. Even with the old inadequacy bubbling, Akane was delighted to see her as it was an injection of the old crazy of Nerima.

"Rouge? What are you doing here? If you're looking for Taro, we haven't seen him in a while."

Rouge shook her head, "No Akane Tendo. I'm not looking for him, yet. Right now I was hoping to find Ranma. He and I have some business we must discuss."

Akane's friendly mask faded and her sadness returned to the fore. Once again the outside world preferred Ranma to herself. "Oh. Him. He's not here right now. If you want to come in and stay for a while, Nabiki will be back from her date later and you can ask her where he is."

The foreign woman noticed her hostess' shift in mood and was immediately concerned. "What's wrong," she asked as she accepted Akane's invitation. "Has something happened between you and Ranma?"

As she closed the door Akane laughed bitterly. "I guess you could say that. We're not together anymore."

"Why not," asked Rouge with confusion and concern. "I thought you two were engaged."

"Believe me, it's a long story."

Sitting down in the Tendo's main room, Rouge looked up at her hostess with a helpful expression. "Well I seem to have plenty of time and you look like you need to talk. So why don't we both sit and have a chat."

For a few moments Akane felt her pride balk at the offer of help. She was Akane Tendo after all, she didn't need help from anyone. The sorrows of the last few weeks quickly doused those prideful fires with the cold waters of stark truth. "That . . . sounds good. I guess." Slowly she slid into her customary place at the table and began her tale.

To ensure her companion's comprehension Akane started at the very beginning. The Tendo family's early days were described in vivid, if not a tad sentimental, detail. Then came the passing of her mother and the downward turn their lives took in her absence. She detailed how radically different she and her sisters became, one a housewife, another a manipulative opportunist, and then there was herself, a young girl trying to live in the shadows cast by a dead mother and an emotionally absent father. And just when it seemed as if their family was doomed to slowly follow their deceased matriarch into tomorrow, a girl who was really a boy was carried into their lives. From that initial seed of chaos sprouted a vast tree of insanity which seemed impossible to fell.

As the story slowly came to a close all of the baggage she carried through her days was laid bare for Rouge to rummage through. All the pain and hate and oppressive bitterness was outlined with vivid detail. The telling hurt, it hurt more than Akane ever realized it would, yet paradoxically it also felt good. It was like a poison draining from her veins. In the passing it burned with an unimaginable heat only to be replaced by a soothing lightness unlike any she felt.

Sitting as inscrutable as a mountain, Rouge watched as Akane dried the last of her tears and, with shaking hands, sipped from a glass of water. She sat in silence for a long while just contemplating what advice she should give to the troubled woman. "Would you like to know what I think," she finally asked.

Having failed to conceive of a way out on her own, Akane nodded eagerly. "Yes, please."

"I warn you, you might not like what I have to say."

Akane's nodding head stopped abruptly. Rouge's warning seemed heartfelt and she could admit, at least to herself, that she didn't handle criticism well. Unbidden, her mind flashed back to the young woman walking through her own home like a ghost. More than criticism she couldn't handle that, not for much longer. The status quo was no longer what she desired, so perhaps this echo of prior insanity could push her into a new direction. "I don't care. Go ahead."

"Okay. My suggestion to you is to let go of the life you have planned for yourself." Seeing her companion's confusion Rouge explained. "Throughout your life, at least as you have told it to me, you have lived your life in the shadows of others. Your father casts his art and dreams of glory onto you. Your mother casts the ideal of femininity and motherhood. Meanwhile your sisters reinforce those ideals. Then came Ranma, he cast a shadow so great it consumed all around him. None of these people meant to influence you as they have yet they did so all the same. If you truly wish to live life as you want it then you need to get out from beneath the shadows of others and cast some of your own."

Listening to this relative stranger speak Akane felt as if she were standing at the edge of something grand. It was as frightening as it was compelling. "How," she asked, her voice laced with awe.

"Leave," said Rouge flatly. "By your own admission both Kasumi and Ranma have found great happiness beyond these walls and Nabiki looks to be following a similar path. If you desire your own life then you must leave this place and find it. It will be hard, maybe the hardest thing you have ever done, but so too are those things most worth doing."

Before she could voice her opinion on what this stranger suggested Akane heard the front door slide open followed shortly thereafter by Nabiki's delighted voice. "That's Nabiki," she informed her guest.

"Excellent," smiled Rouge. "Thank you, Akane, for your time and your company."

Akane smiled and bowed. "No, thank you. I think you've really helped me."

"Then our time was doubly well spent. I look forward to hearing how life treats you."

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As Yori Alexander walked the halls of her family's home she noticed an odd, yet wholly welcome, warmth to the overall emotional temperature. Now warmth was not something new to these walls, she and her husband made sure that any who entered their home felt as safe and welcome as they did in their own homes, if not more so. This new development was like someone infused the air with an additional layer of happiness. Even Tami was behaving more refined and ladylike, a temporary development to be sure but it was a most welcome one all the same.

Soon the Alexander matriarch became aware of a gentle tune on the air, as if someone were humming happily. She followed that tune through her home until it led her to the kitchen. What she saw as she turned the corner was something the family had yet to really witness, Kasumi cooking. Oh she had not been a stranger in the space, the young woman's sense of pride would never allow such a thing, but never before was she alone in her efforts. So it was that the Alexanders had never seen Kasumi at her height.

Just as Ranma could take the deadliest of techniques and transform them into pure poetry, Kasumi did the same for cooking. Under her careful eye nearly a dozen tasks were underway, their subtle intricacies bowing under the superiority of a true master. Ever in motion was the oldest Tendo daughter yet her movements were neither hurried nor frantic. Were one willing to break the tableau they might have said that she had taken on a certain fairy tale quality. Kasumi certainly looked the part of some beautiful, yet common born, girl just waiting for her prince to come. That her prince had already swept her up into a new world was beside the point, as was the fact that the prince could also be a princess.

Ultimately it was Kasumi who broke the serenity when she stopped and turned to her audience. "Oh my. Is there something I can do for you, Yori?"

The intrusion of speech onto her thoughts was so jarring that the elder Alexander actually gasped. "No-nothing dear. I was just watching you cook. You know, you really don't have to do that." While she herself cooked all the time, the thought of someone else doing so for her rankled Yori fiercely,

Kasumi shook her head fervently, "Oh but I must. Today is very special day and it would be wrong of me not to."

In her mental calendar Yori sought something of importance scheduled for the day and quickly found nothing. "Important? How so?"

"It's our anniversary," she sighed happily. "Today marks three months of happiness we've shared." And they were happy times. Even with the monsters and the fate of Earth hanging in the balance, Kasumi would not trade these last months for anything on the world. Thanks to Ranma she was now part of a whole new world, that she helped _him_ get there too made it all the more special.

"So that was why I saw him running out the front door earlier," she laughed. "He forgot, didn't he?" It was then that Yori saw something few ever encountered, Kasumi's frown. It wasn't the fiercest she ever saw but there something about the way it looked on her that was rather disconcerting.

"On the contrary," replied the young woman with a certain amount of ice. "Ranma is the one who reminded me."

"I'm sorry, Kasumi. I just assumed that Ranma, like many men, failed to remember. Even my Joseph forgets sometimes. I meant no offense." It was strange, seeing this girl so upset. Normally Kasumi was as tranquil as a noonday garden. This sudden spike of anger was as scary as it was troubling.

The brunette sighed, her shoulders slumping as the anger seemed to drain from her. "No, I'm sorry. Ranma . . . Ranma was not treated kindly by my family and the others. They often blamed him for things he never did. I'm not saying he was wholly blameless, but he received more blame than he deserved."

Yori released the breath she had been unconsciously holding. Smiling, she reached out and gently touched the younger woman on the arm. "I understand. Ranma is a lucky man to have a protector such as yourself."

Kasumi shook her head, "No, you're wrong. I'm the one who is lucky to have _him._"

"Either way, we are all lucky to have you both in our family."

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With a happy bounce Ranma Alexander made his way through the busy byways of Juban. After quickly saying his goodbyes to a happy, and very satisfied, Kasumi, he had rushed from the Alexander home to fetch his anniversary present for her. Normally, thinking about what to get others was a skill that did not come naturally to him, his own desires having been suppressed for so long. This particular gift needed no real thought for its choosing. For months now a singular moment had lurked in the back of thoughts and today was the day he would banish it forever.

It was strange how it had stuck with him. Normally his memory could be a tad fuzzy yet the pain and betrayal that had flashed across Kasumi's face when he told her they weren't engaged still dogged him. He'd buried it deeply, a necessity given their current bond, but he was pretty sure she never suspected. The remedy to that moment was an even harder secret to maintain. That she hadn't said anything made him hopeful that his usual deficiencies with subterfuge were giving this one to him.

Keeping everyone else out of the loop had proven even more difficult. Rings, at least those that didn't have sort of stupid curse, were not something he was all that familiar with. In the early stages of his planning he'd entertained the idea of asking one of the Senshi for help, but given how they gossip he quickly nixed that plan. Luckily, that very same gossip gave him another avenue of thought to pursue, one Naru Osaka. A jeweler's daughter would know something about rings. Better yet, he could just go to the mother and bypass the potential leak of his secret.

Thinking about that initial encounter made him chuckle. In spite of the odd goings on in Juban, Miss Osaka looked upon his questions with some skepticism. It was, he admitted, an understandable position to take. Most boys weren't out to get a ring at his age and those that did, according to her, only did so to get into a girl's pants. After some tense conversations she finally understood how serious he was and became rather eager to help him with what he wanted. Of course to achieve what he wanted took time, luckily she finished her work yesterday so he could pick it up today.

It was with that singular object in mind, albeit hidden, that he made his way to Miss Osaka's shop. As he reached the building in question Ranma smiled at the open sign hanging in the door. With it showing that he was not, as he feared, too early, the pig-tailed teen strolled inside.

"Welcome to the . . . . oh, Ranma," exclaimed Miss Osaka with delight. "I wondered when you could come by."

Ranma scratched the base of his pigtail and smiled. "Yeah, I had to make sure Kasumi didn't know where I was going."

The older woman frowned somewhat. "So she knows you're out getting a present? With this sort of thing it's really better to surprise her."

"Oh she'll be surprised," he assured her with a smile. "But she would have been suspicious if I just left without saying something. Besides, if I hadn't said something she would have never let me leave." It was something new that had crept into his conversations, this innuendo thing. He wasn't quite sure how it kept coming up but since Kasumi had yet to complain so neither did he.

She noticed his meaning and shook her head. "Serious or no, aren't you both a little young to be doing such things?"

"Normally, I'd say yes," he replied with a blush. "But things are different between us. We . . . we both nearly died. It made us see things, see each other differently. Yes we're young and yes we should have waited but we both know that sometimes you can wait so long you miss what matters." There were those in Nerima who, had they heard him say such things, would have wondered just who had replaced Ranma. The ideas and emotions he expressed were clear and, as far as they were concerned, completely out of character. But time and events had changed him, for the better in his opinion.

"Oh," gasped the jeweler at the mention of his near-death experience. In her mind's eye she saw flashes of her daughter's own brushes with death and wondered if Naru and Umino had not also shared such close moments. "I-I see. I had no idea."

Ranma shrugged, "Don't worry about it. You're just tryin' to get some responsibility into me. Maybe what you made will help with that."

The not so subtle hint was not lost on the woman and, with the flair of a consummate professional, she withdrew a small, velvet-covered, box from behind the counter. "Here you go Ranma. I hope it is everything you wanted."

As the woman opened the box Ranma peered at the ring inside and could not help but gasp. Forged of gold and silver, two birds extended their wings to hold up a diamond cut to the shape of an egg. It was a beautiful and worthy token of his love for Kasumi and he couldn't imagine a more perfect ring to rest on her slim finger. "W-wow! That's amazing Miss Osaka. It looks exactly like I imagined."

"No, thank you Ranma. So many people these days just want a ring without any real thought put into it. It felt really good to put my skills to some major work."

"How much do I owe you," that was the part of this whole affair that really worried him. He was, by and large, broke. His grandfather gave him an allowance but that was a small sum and it was mostly used on dates with Kasumi. There was some money he managed to squirrel away but he wasn't sure it would be enough, not even with the contributions he'd already made to the ring's construction.

Whatever worries he had went away the moment she quoted the ring's price. "Are you sure about that," he asked with some confusion. For his own confirmation, he looked down into the display case and saw the rings there, each of which had far more value than the one in her hand.

She laughed happily. "Yes I'm sure."

"B-but it's so little."

"Normally you'd be right," she nodded. "But since you brought me everything all I needed to charge you for was the labor. I'm still curious as to where you got that stuff from though. Most people don't go around with gold and silver in their pockets, to say nothing of a diamond," this last was said with a healthy dose of suspicion. Even though Ranma had assured her five ways to Sunday that everything he had wouldn't be missed, she still had to wonder.

Ranma shrugged, "It's like I told you. When you've been to as many places as I have, you pick up a thing or two." The truth, as it often was with him, was far more unusual than the woman before him would believe. There was no way in hell that she'd believe that the diamond and silver came from a cursed broach that he managed to purify then break apart. Nor would she ever guess that the gold had been given to him by bird men from China. It was better for all that he just act as if he'd somehow come across things on his trips which was, from a certain point of view, wholly true.

The jeweler nodded, she had pretty much expected that sort of response. Still, it didn't hurt to ask. "Well since you've made a decent effort in proving to me that everything is on the level all you have to do is pay for my labor costs and make sure your girl gets her ring the right way."

"Can do," he beamed. From his pockets he pulled out the asked amount and readily slapped it onto the counter. While the amount was more than he'd ever spent on something, Ranma considered it money well spent. "I think that's everything."

She took the money and counted it with a professional eye. When everything came up right she smiled and nodded happily. "Yes sir, everything is right here. Just let me ring this up for you and then you can take it home with you."

"Sounds good to me."

"So tell me," she said while going over to the register, "have you planned how you're going to do it?"

"I've thought about it. Today's our three month anniversary and if I know Kasumi she's probably cooking up a storm as a celebration. I'll probably do it then."

"Well make sure it's special for the both of you. This is something you're going to remember for the rest of your lives, so make it a good memory."

"Don't worry, I'm planning on it," he said with a smile.

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As Ranma walked back towards his new home he felt something prickling at the edge of his senses. For most people such nigglings would have been lost in the near constant buzz of activity inherent to the modern world. Ranma wasn't most people however. Living for over ten years in the woods and backstreets, to say nothing of his time in Nerima, had sharpened his danger senses to a near razor's edge. They told him in no uncertain terms that someone or something was following him and they had been since he left the Osa P.

He quickly began to run down a list of people he had pissed off and found, as he always did, that it was quite lengthy. Not as long as it once had been, but still long. _"Hell,"_ he thought with a sarcastic snort, _"it could be another family the panda stiffed. Hadn't had one of those in a while."_

The presence was getting closer now, its malice was positively palatable. Yet, while he was sure the approaching foe meant to harm him, when didn't they, there was none of the increases in aggression that normally heralded an attack. It was this incongruity that kept him from tensing up for a fight, though he was ready to do so at a moment's notice.

"Lovely weather we're having, eh Femboy?"

Ranma felt a shiver of apprehension run down his spine. There was only one person who belonged to that voice, only one person who called him that. It was the same person who, aside from Saffron and Cologne, routinely gave him his greatest challenge. "I don't know where the old freak is Taro."

The effeminate man in masculine garb smiled evilly, "Happosai? Why would I want him?"

"Um, to change your name," asked Ranma hesitantly. He didn't like this, not one bit. Taro was acting way too friendly for his liking. In his experience, when enemies suddenly became your friends it meant there was a fight approaching. Given the innocents walking past them both as they went about their daily lives, a fight was the last thing he wanted; especially given Taro's casual use of his cursed form.

Taro laughed, it was dark, hollow thing that carried none of the mirth it should have. "My name? Why the hell should I care about that stupid thing any more? After all, I've got one now that is so much better. I'm called Taurus now, perhaps you've heard of it."

The icy shiver now became a cascade. Indeed, he had heard of the name, it belonged to one of the constellations that had fallen pray to Draco's predations. That it had taken Taro made sense in a warped way. Everyone else, aside from Centauri, had been one of his old enemies why not this jackass.

"So what? You want to fight or something?"

"Fight? In the middle of all these people? Really Ranma, you should be ashamed," said Taurus with faux disappointment.

Ranma breathed an unconscious sigh of relief and relaxed somewhat. "Well what do you want then? Just to say hi?"

Taurus shrugged, "That. And to say thanks."

"Thanks," asked Ranma disbelievingly. That was a word he didn't often hear from the Nerima side of things. To hear Taro-Taurus say it made things all the more unusual.

"Yeah. Without you I wouldn't have all this new power," as he said this Taurus flexed his aura. Although it was still outside the range where normal people could see it, from the way Ranma's eyes widened he knew that the point had been made. "You know, when I saw that damn news report I was pissed. After doing what you did I knew there was no way I could ever hope to beat you and win me a new name. I guess I was angry enough that it attracted the right people's attention."

"And that's when you took Taro over?"

Taurus laughed heartily and this time it seemed genuine. "Take him over? Please. I took no one against their will, I didn't have to. Taro welcomed me and we, unlike some of the others you've faced, are one."

"He what," gasped Ranma, his eyes wide with surprise. "Why would he want somthin' stupid like that?!"

"Not to reinforce the delusions you probably have, but it was because of you. Don't give me that shocked look, I've been trying to kick your ass for a while now. Then I saw what you became. Even though I was in China at the time, I saw how you made yourself more powerful than I could ever hope to be. It really pissed me off, femboy, and just when I was looking for a way to kick your ass for good he came."

"Draco," said Ranma simply. What went unsaid but was heavily implied was how much he was wanting to show the mad constellation some professional, grade A, butt whooping.

"Yes. He offered me power beyond my wildest dreams, I just had to prove myself first."

There was something in the way Taro said those words that sent a shiver of dread through Ranma. "How?"

"By showing him that I have no further ties to this world and, instead, could be dedicated to a different cause. So I destroyed my village."

Ranma could feel the flames raging within him. They roiled away demanding freedom so they could avenge the innocents slaughtered in Taro's grab for power. It was only Kasumi's cooling presence in the back of his mind that kept him from transforming right then and there. That gentle place helped keep him focused on gathering information. "Why not just take you," he growled through gritted teeth.

"Jusenkyo," answered Taurus simply. "I'd already chosen Taro, his cursed form and personality matched my own so perfectly. Yet I couldn't take him as the others could, Jusenkyo had already done that. Once he devoted himself to the cause, once he showed Draco how pure he was, I was allowed to perform a joining."

"So he, you, chose this. You wanted this and you like it."

"Of course I do. Has turning into a girl made you dumber or something?"

"No," he growled. "Just making sure." With the flip of a mental switch Ranma called on Phoenix's power, his every inch ready to pounce.

Taurus, however, was unperturbed by the avatar's rising power. "Now, now. I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said with a certain genial menace.

"Why not you murderin' bastard?"

"Because I will start killing these insects you are so fond of."

Ranma swallowed hard. There was nothing in the monster he stared at that told him Taro was bluffing. As he thought about it, Ranma was pretty sure Taro would focus most of his attention in a fight on killing as any innocents as he could. With that understanding in place he pushed Phoenix's power away. "Okay. I won't do anything."

Taurus shook his head, "Disappointing. I had hoped you could push you ideals aside for the opportunity to exercise a measure of vengeance." He shrugged, "Oh well. Since it seems as if Cygnus and the others are on their way, I must bow out of this conversation. And to ensure you won't follow me, I will leave you all some friends to play with."

Ranma surged forward to stop Taro from doing anything to people. Before he took a second step however, the fiend had already sent out a wave of darkness to strike many of the people around them. That darkness surrounded the writhing and terrified people, coating each in a thick skin. Soon what had been a person was a cartoonish mockery with glowing yellow eyes and oversized metal armor. These were no cartoons however, they were Shades and from their appearance they were the strongest yet.

Those not affected by Taurus' beam ran from the monsters in a hurried rush. In another part of the city there might have been a surplus of screams as they made their escape. This was Juuban though and its people were long used to unexpected monster fights. Screaming could come later, for now they focused their energies on regular breathing in order to make a clean escape.

As soon as the first Shade appeared, Ranma was Phoenix once more. Even as he tried to follow Taurus, his progress was stymied by the dark horde around him. It was only after one of the horde grabbed hold of his uniform and began pulling him away that Phoenix turned the totality of attention on those who attacked.

Gripping the arm of one of his attackers, Phoenix whirled around to slam it into the one holding his other arm. Stunned, both creatures released him and staggered back, giving Phoenix the opportunity to strike a new target. The shade screamed horribly as he slammed a flaming fist into its side.

Three down, he thought with little emotion, only a million more to go.

Suddenly a comet fell from the sky, a comet surrounded by lightning, It crashed into a shade with fantastic speed only to leap up and strike another with a lightning-clad gauntlet. Never once did this woman, this warrior of light, flinch with her strikes. Like Phoenix, she tore through the Shades with a brutal fury. But whereas the man danced, she was more of a brawler. Hard and fast was her style, though hints of Phoenix's fluidity could be seen in the harsh punches and kicks.

Behind the white and green fighter came a creature unlike any found in nature. Moving on hind legs like a man, but possessing the fur and fury of a bear, it roared while raking its claws across the torsos of two shades. Where its claws landed there were deep gouges in the shades' hides, gouges that did not heal as they did with other attacks. In what appeared to be a blind swipe at several more of the creatures, warbling blades scythed away from its claws to strike the distant foes.

Phoenix looked at these additions to the fight and smiled. It was something of a novelty, having friends he could count on. Back in Nerima, the others could be counted on to gather to face a major opponent such as Saffron or Herb but their own internal feuds almost always got in the way. With the Senshi and the other Avatars however, there was always a certain professionalism that permeated their work. Such things made his job infinitely easier.

Moments later, an orange beam of energy scythed through the Shade's ranks, knocking many to ground. Phoenix looked up at the roofline and saw a white and orange clad woman standing there. Her finger pointed like a gun, she sent beam after beam into the enemy's ranks. When her eyes caught his she smiled and gave a jaunty salute before pouring more fire into the Shades. _"Good,"_ thought Phoenix with some satisfaction, _"looks like they're starting to think tactically. Bout time too."_

Bathing another Shade in fire, Phoenix turned to deal with another opponent and saw a rose sticking out of its shoulder. Two more roses followed in quick succession, causing the Shade the seize up and fall to the ground. Phoenix didn't have to look far for the source of those odd weapons, their wielder being only a short distance away. "Still with the roses?"

Endymion shrugged and batted away a shade with the flat end of his sword. "What can I say, the roses play."

"Don't you have something, you know, cooler," asked Phoenix as he leapt over a Shade and sent two fiery daggers into its back.

The armored man punched a Shade hard in the face. Where his gauntleted fist struck the shade there was a brief burst of light that seemed to give the punch more force than it otherwise would have. "Nothing that won't kill them. Besides, some people I know happen to like the roses."

"Yeah, but you could stand still giving speeches and Moon would still like you," grumbled Phoenix.

Endymion blushed at the reminder of his past actions, "Hey, it seemed like the right idea at the time."

"So did a lot of the stuff my old man did. That doesn't make it right."

"Who did this," asked Endymion, desperate for a change of discussion. "Were you able to see it?"

"It's a him, and yeah I was. Bastard changed all these people just to get away," he growled angrily. I"ll give you guys the full run down when this is all over."

He noticed the dark tension on his friend's body and wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. "I look forward to it."

The tides of battle pulled him away from Endymion and for that Phoenix was grateful. He could see the questions lurking in the other man's mind and did not want to answer them. Hell, he didn't even want to think about them. Aside from the whole Saffron thing, and maybe the Orochi fight, the Nerima adventures always had a certain safety built in. There were rules that everyone, to one degree or another, followed. One of those rules was always avoid non combatants. Sure, if one of the crew wasn't fighting they could get pulled in, but some random person off the street was off limits.

Taro broke that rule though. Not only had he turned all these people into Shades just to escape, he also killed his whole village just to gain some idiot's favor. Taro didn't even have the excuse of being under someone's control. He made it quite clear that he was in charge of his own actions and that he liked every minute of it. Such actions were not forgivable, even for someone as forgiving as Phoenix. The bastard was going down and, unlike Saffron, he wasn't going to get back up.

At his back, Phoenix could feel a welling up of vast energies. Needing no explanation, he leapt up and back to land next to a glowing Sailor Moon. It was with her that Phoenix held the most of his surprise and admiration. Although he didn't know why, something had changed with the normally-bubbly girl. At school and in training she had become an almost different person, displaying a focus that put her friends to shame. While still horribly uncoordinated, Moon had absorbed Saffron's magic training almost voraciously. In terms of theory and practice she was miles ahead of the others. The only reason Phoenix was not more concerned with this change in personality lay in the fact that, as soon as the pencils were down and the training concluded, she was quick to whine and ask for something sweet.

Right now she stared out at the mass of shades and held her crystal aloft with purpose. It was clear that she was in no way happy with what she was seeing and had every intention to wipe the sight from existence. More and more power swelled around her and Phoenix could feel huge stores of Silver Millennium energy being converted to something akin to Cygnus' own. Phoenix did not know enough about magic to understand the complexity of what she was doing. Nevertheless, what he could feel spoke volumes on Moon's skill and power.

She was yelling now, a defiant cry against the power filling her body and the air around her. It was a cry Phoenix knew well and he stepped back out her way. Sure enough, a stream of cleansing light poured over the street. Where it touched friends the light healed and invigorated, foes froze and squealed under its power. Light like the Sun filled a sizable chunk of Tokyo and, once again, Sailor Moon beat back the night.

Blinking spots from his vision, Phoenix looked at the road before him and smiled when he saw nothing but a sea of still people. Well, they were not fully still. Even from his position, he could see the gentle raising and lowering of breathing chests and smiled. "Good job."

Moon was bent over, her breath coming in great, heaving lungfulls. She did not answer him and, instead, preferred to nod tiredly. Phoenix laughed happily. "Maybe next time you should let Cygnus help you," he said with a grin. Like before she answered with a nod and he only laughed that much harder.

"Shoot," huffed Cygnus as she landed nearby. "I was hoping for some action today."

Although she was as radiant as ever, when Phoenix looked to his love he did so incredulously. "_You_ wanted a fight?"

She smiled, a sight that was almost as blinding as Moon's attack, but did not look embarrassed in the least. "What can I say, you've rubbed off on me." Cygnus then turned her smile onto Moon, who was only now standing straight. "You did excellent Moon. I am glad to see your training taking off."

The blond fighter shrugged, "What can I say, I'm motivated." Changing the subject, she turned her blue eyes onto Phoenix, "So, who did this?"

Phoenix looked at the others who were drawing near, their faces each showing the same question burning inside. Sighing, he slumped down somewhat, "Why don't we get out of here? I'll tell you there."

"Can I come along?"

The voice was familiar to Phoenix but he could not place its owner until he looked up and saw the six-armed woman standing nearby. "What are you doing here," he asked incredulously. It was only after asking that he felt it, the certain unmistakable feeling he experienced around all the other Avatars.

"Who is she," asked Moon, "a friend?"

"She's another Avatar," he answered, his eyes never leaving the woman's smiling form. "What should we call you?" Although he knew well what she was called, Phoenix decided the ruse was necessary for his friend's sake.

"Hydra."

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The Sailor Senshi, their armor gone and civilian identities in place, sat together and nervously tried not to stare at the latest addition to their band. It was, as they would all later reflect, a rather harder prospect than one would expect. Although Hydra, or Rouge as she preferred, was in her uncursed state, there was not a Senshi present who could not see the multiple faces and tangle of arms she had previously possessed. For the Senshi, especially the Inners, such a thing screamed monster. That said monster was, just like all the women from Ranma's past, also insanely beautiful made them all the more uncomfortable.

Unlike their counterparts, the Avatars were wholly at ease with their newest teammate. Ranma and the rest sat around her and chatted amiably about past adventures. To the Senshi, their stories of epic fights and Nerimian insanity sounded incredibly strange, especially given their prior status as enemies.

"So," said Haruka, her gaze a little more focused on Rouge's obvious assets than was necessary, "how long have you been an Avatar?"

With a grace that many among the Senshi's ranks gnashed their teeth at, Rouge sat her cup down and looked at the assembled mass. "I was, you must understand, in the woods at the time. Therefor I do not have an accurate picture of the time involved. However, I would have to say that I accepted Hydra's offer around the same time as the others took theirs."

Ryu looked at his new teammate curiously, "Then why'd it take you so long to get here? I wasn't all that quick getting here myself but I've still been here for a while."

"I was in Nepal at the time of my acceptance," she said simply. "My condition, as Ranma and Kasumi can attest, left my other half slightly insane. The human mind was not meant to process information from two more faces and in Nepal I had hoped to find some mental exercises that would help keep everything in focus. What I found, however, was far more potent than mere concentration."

"You mean Hydra, don't you," asked Ami.

Rouge smiled, "Yes. Hydra knows how to handle so much information and offered that understanding to me in exchange for saving the world. So it is that I have a great debt to pay my constellation, a debt that I shall take great pride in fulfilling." Rouge paused a moment to drink deeply of her tea before continuing. "To answer your question, Ryu, my tardiness is due to my desire to reconnoiter our enemy's stronghold."

At the back of the room Lime, and a much refreshed Mint, perked up. "You have been to our homeland," asked the larger with a hint of hope. "Tell us, how do our people fair?"

"Yes, I have seen the Musk lands. It is my deepest of regrets to inform you that your once green and fertile home is but a shadow of its former self. Those Musk who were unable to make it to Amazon land and failed to die in the initial attack are now Shades. An army of them patrol the barren lands and tear into those they find."

The room was silent. Aside from a select few, Setsuna and Cologne being chief among them, no one in the group had ever heard of such total devastation. Even the Senshi who remembered the war somehow had managed to avoid such dread scenes in their recollections. Hardest hit were Ranma and Kasumi. Both were as white as ghosts and they held each other in an almost frantic grip.

First to break the silence, save for a sniffle or sob, was Cologne. Face grave, she stared at the grim messenger and looked for any sign of hope. "What of my people, child? Or the Phoenix? Do we still have a place from which we may enact our vengeance?"

Rouge nodded. "Yes, while I was there I managed to find the leadership of your lands. It took an invocation of Ranma's name before they would even see me and even then they were suspicious. Your people, Elder, have fled Joketsuzoku." There were a series of gasps from the younger Amazons present but still Rouge pressed on. "They, along with the Musk remnants, now occupy Mt. Phoenix. The three tribes now stand united under a single roof."

Cologne shook her head and laughed sadly, "To think, so much strife has finally come to an end. I only wish more of our peoples had lived to see it."

"Believe me, Elder," said Setsuna softly, "of the two options available to my sight, one path ends with all three tribes succumbing to eternal night. As for the other, the path we now walk down, the future is hidden from me. But isn't the death of a few preferable to a mass extermination?"

While the Elder appeared shaken she nevertheless nodded, "Yes. Although there have been times when I yearned for nothing more than the valley to flood with the blood of Musk and Phoenix, as I sit here now I accept your point."

The younger Senshi, those still partially in their dream world of how reality functions, stared at their teacher with horror. "How could you ever want something like that?"

Surprisingly it was not the Elder, or even Setsuna, who answered. Instead it was Usagi, her voice hollow and eyes distant, that spike. "When you see your friends killed and the love of your life lays in a pool of his own blood, it's really easy to want someone to pay. It's harder though to look past that and work for peace."

There was not a young woman among the Inners who did not know what their leader referred to. Against Beryl they had all lost their lives, all save for Usagi. Alone and cold she somehow managed to gather up the strength of will needed to carry on and defeat the dark queen for all time. One by one they reached out and laid a hand upon their friend's arms or shoulders, each hand was a silent thanks and show of support that words were so inadequate to say.

Rouge gave the friends some time to sit in silence before addressing the group once again. "It might please you to know that Hydra tells me I am the last Avatar, at least the last untainted one."

Knowing what that meant as well as anyone, Lime sat up eagerly. "Does that mean we can go back?"

Although he could see the excitement bubbling in his friend's eyes, Ranma shook his head. "We can't. At least not yet."

"Yes," said Kasumi, picking up his thread, "with Taro on the loose we cannot leave Tokyo."

"Who's Taro? Was he the guy that let loose all those shades," asked Mamoru.

Ranma sighed and drank greedily of his tea. Although the bitter brew was very good, it did little to soothe his nerves. "Pantyhose Taro," there was a round of sniggers at that and Ranma even joined in, if only for a moment, "is a monster. We used to fight every now and then, and even back then the guy was nuts. He'd change sides quicker than the old pervert at a bikini contest," that drew some blank stares from the Senshi and shudders from the Nerima crowd. "But I never thought he'd go as far as he said he did."

"Tell us, Son-in-Law, what exactly did he do?" Even asking the question, Cologne felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Over her time in Japan she had come to know Ranma well and what she was seeing of his demeanor was not encouraging. The boy was deep within the Soul of Ice yet his whole body vibrated with fury. To have both at the same time was the illest of omens.

Ranma shuddered, his every fiber shaking with the information he'd learned. "Taro . . . that murderin' bastard, he, he killed his whole village."

Gasps abounded throughout the room. The Senshi, being the most innocent of those present, relatively speaking, were pale and, in a few cases, green. Only Setsuna managed to maintain her composure and even then it was clear that the lost of life had not left her unaffected. "You mean the constellation in him, right?"

"No," he shook his head. "Jusekyo made it so Taurus couldn't just take him like Gemini took the Golden Idiots. Taro had to let him in and before Draco was goin' to have him as a follower he had to prove himself."

While it was clear that everyone was disgusted at with what they were hearing, it was the contingent of martial artists who seemed the most upset. Kiima, in her Akane guise, was vibrating with such rage that it was actually manifesting on the visible spectrum. "He murdered his own people just to seize power," she shrieked. As a Phoenix such a thing was utterly unthinkable. Yes, any one of their number would gladly lay down their life to further their Lord's power. To kill your own though? Never.

Before Kiima could go off a Akane style tirade her anger gutted out and her eyes rolled up into the back of her head. With a single groan she pitched forward to slam unconscious into the ground. Behind where her neck had been was the slowly retreating tip of Cologne's staff. As the others stared at her with alarm, the matriarch merely shrugged. "There are few things on this Earth more unproductive than an angry Akane Tendo. Right, Son-in-Law?"

The pig-tailed teen chuckled humorlessly, "Right. She'd probably end up calling me a pervert then hit me with the table." That got a few chuckles out of those who knew all the players involved but still the atmosphere was tense.

"So what should we do about Taro," asked Usagi softly.

Haruka was quick with an answer, "We hunt the bastard down and grind him up," she growled.

Even as the Senshi expressed their agreement with her plan, Ranma shook his head and slammed his hand against the table. The sound was deafening, like the angry retort of some grand cannon, and it quieted the disparate conversations. "No," he hissed, to the surprise of all who knew him. "This isn't like this others. Taro ain't yer fight. If you see the bastard then run and call us."

The girls looked at their friend and Sensei with varying degrees of hurt. Of them, only three; Setsuna, Haruka, and Makoto, appeared to understand. As for the rest, well they appeared largely like Usagi. "Why?"

Ranma opened his mouth to answer but Makoto held up a hand. She met his gaze and when he nodded she turned to face her princess. "Usagi. How would you feel if one of us willingly turned evil and killed all of Nagano? Would you want outsiders to stop us or would you want to keep it in the family?"

Usagi looked into her friend's eyes and sighed, "You're right. If one of you went rogue it would be my job to stop you."

"There is an additional danger to you all," added Cologne gravely. As all eyes fell on her she continued, "Although it is true that, magically, you are more powerful than the Avatars, when it comes to more physical means of fighting even your best are woefully inadequate against us. No offense meant, of course," she added with a look to Makoto and Haruka.

"None taken," replied the blonde. She knew all too well what it meant to tangle with one of the fighters. Although her Senshi form heightened her speed and durability, the martial artists knew of spots that could stop someone with a single touch.

While Makoto and Haruka were quick to agree with the Elder's position, Rei and Minako looked less willing. "Hey now," exclaimed the raven-haired teen. "We've saved the world three times already! Don't take that lightly."

Ranma looked at the fiery girl through slitted eyes. "And you did it all with luck," he hissed. "What'd you give up to win? Yeah, you died against Beryl, I'll give you that. But did you have to? Once you became Senshi, did you focus your lives to that mission? Did you train until you couldn't stand? Did you work every day to be better than the last? Hell no! You sat around and lived your little privileged lives and complained about the honor given to you."

With an angry finger, he pointed at Shampoo; who appeared startled to be at the center of attention. "Look at her! Every day she woke up and trained. She had her hands pushed into fire and her body hit with rocks just to be the best. And you know why she did it? Because she knew she had to be better than the Musk or Phoenix she might meet in some godforsaken mud hole."

That finger then turned on Ryu, "Ryu? He's lived on his own for years. While you were safe and warm he was on the road learning how to survive. You could drop him anywhere on the planet and he'd be runnin' the place in a week if he wanted. You know what stops him from doing that? What stops Shampoo from snapping your necks before you can say word one about make up? They're good damn people," he roared and such was his anger that even Cologne flinched at the sight of it.

"Taro? He's lived the same kind of life, only he's an asshole. You go out and fight him and he'll run. He'll run and follow you home and kill your whole damn family." The Senshi grew pale at what he suggested and Ranma nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Taro's the kind of person who'll bring a house down to kill a bug. So when I say stay the hell away from him, stay the hell away from him!"

The girls stared at Ranma with fear-filled surprise. Never had they thought their friend capable of such anger. Only their enemies had ever expressed this level of rage and always they were being attacked at the time. Now here was someone who yelled to protect them and none of them knew what to do. Even Rei, always eager to fight anger with anger, was quelled by him.

"O-okay Ranma," said Usagi with a voice filled with power. "We'll stay away. Won't we," she said to the others, without any hint of question. When the others nodded Usagi smiled, albeit with a certain amount of strain.

"Excellent," smiled Cologne bitterly. "Perhaps we should now end this meeting and retire to our homes to think."

Still flush with power, Usagi nodded. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. But first we're all going for ice cream. I think we could use some right now."

Kasumi smiled. "I agree."

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As the walked down the well trodden path between Furinkan High and her home Akane's thoughts were, as they had often been since her talk with Rouge, focused on her future. Over and over she pondered the road her life would take and wondered where it led. For so long it led back to the dojo, back to a life where she stood as a master and taught her art to all those who visited. Yet now that future did not see quite so grand. Spending so much time cooped up at home these past few months, having the world pass her by with nary a word, made her see just what sort of hell running the dojo could quickly become. She needed something more, something that would let her go out into the world and stretch her wings.

So caught up was she in her own thoughts that she never noticed the presence behind her. And when something struck her on the back of the head all she was able to do was think, _"Damn. Not again."_

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Elsewhere in Nerima, Ukyo Kounji walked towards her home and business with a certain lightness to her step. While Akane might be questioning her future, Ukyo knew where hers lay. It rested in a building that would become an empire, it nestled in the arms of a man who made a better woman than she did. For a long while she ignored that beautiful man and every day she sought to make amends for that most egregious oversight.

Her business had certainly taken off since the incident with Tsubasa. More and more she was hearing from customers that her product quality had gone up considerably. Several times she had checked her supplies for any changes but she could find none. The only other option was one that she was far too manly to voice but it was one that often left her giggling happily. In fact, just thinking about it sent a trill of happiness running through her and spilled from her lips.

"Damn," she heard from behind her. "There must be something in that water here that makes everyone act like girls."

Turning to face the voice, Ukyo felt her spatula being jerked off her back. Squawking with indignation, she faced the bastard who dared steal her weapon only to stop and gasp, "You!" Anything else she might have said was lost when her weapon came crashing down.

_000000000_

Her arms loaded with supplies bound for the kitchen, Nabiki mentally ran through the day's take. So far, the numbers were looking good. The wall scrolls with Phoenix and Cygnus standing together were selling well, as was the one with Ursus standing beside his bear form. Although the latter had taken some fancy work to make it look right, both men and women were gobbling them up by the dozen. Already she had began leaking word of a new Avatar on the scene and had booked an appointment with Hydra for some choice pictures.

The money, of course, was not bound for her coffers. Initially there had been outraged cries when her schoolmates heard of her making money off the Avatar's likenesses. Those cries were silenced after she announced where all of the yen she made went, a brand new charity. Once people heard that the sale of every wall scroll, t-shirt, and button went to helping victims of violence get back on their feet, the money came flowing in.

Her thoughts about money came to an abrupt end when she caught sight of a school bag. Instantly she knew who it belonged to. Even in Nerima, there was only one person whose bag would look so war-torn, Akane. Dropping her own bags, Nabiki rushed over to the forgotten satchel. As she knelt to pluck it from the ground, she scanned her surroundings for any sign of her sister. Alas there was nary a crazed kendoist nor a cry of combat joined. With nothing but a silent street, she was left with a terrifying understanding. Akane had been kidnapped, again.

Thinking quickly, Nabiki grabbed the satchel and her own bags before rushing towards her home.

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The Nekohanten was quiet. It was, as was true with many restaurants, in between the lunch and dinner rushes and there was always something of a lull. Yet still, as Cologne stirred stock in the kitchen she could not shake the feeling that there was an ill feeing on the air. Such feelings were well known to the elder and they always heralded dark events. What was truly worrisome about it all was how vague her feelings were. Normally she could glean some deeper meaning to her dread but now all she felt was that. Not even the quiet helped soothe her nerves, the silence just seemed to lend an air of menace to her surroundings.

Once source of comfort, albeit a cold one, was Shampoo. Like herself, the girl seemed to notice that some ill-defined danger lurked about. Every shadow drew her sharp stare and more than once Cologne spotted her granddaughter slipping into a ready stance. Although such displays were signs of an undisciplined youth, they did show that Shampoo had yet to stray from the path to becoming an Elder.

Even Mousse, that ever-troublesome male, looked more alert than ever. That he, someone who seemed painfully incapable of understanding how little Shampoo cared for him, was able to detect the threat spoke highly of him. It also made the threat infinitely more grave.

As she stirred the stock with a spoon that was nearly as old as she, Cologne felt the danger suddenly spike. A moment later the spoon she had held in her hand shattered but by then she was already in motion. In an eye-blink she had her staff and was making her way towards the main part of the restaurant. Before she could cross the threshold the entire front wall blew inwards as if detonated by some great bomb.

From her location Cologne was sparred from the brunt of the explosion. Her safety was a cold comfort though, it just gave her the opportunity to watch her beloved granddaughter slam into the far wall with a painful thud. Out of the smoke and dust stepped a form that made her ancient blood run cold, "Taro."

The pretty male sneered and turned to face the woman, "Taurus. Do not forget that, crone."

Although his power was so great that it was practically a physical presence, Cologne had seen such power before and was not easily cowed by it. "Why do you attack us, demon?"

"Because I can," he said simply. "And because I'm here to get a present for Fem-boy."

Cologne saw his leering eyes fall upon Shampoo's unconscious form and gripped her staff tightly. "You will not have her," she said with authority.

"And who will stop me?"

The tiny woman paused for a second to activate the device Setsuna had given her before vanishing from sight. Less than a heartbeat later her tiny mass slammed into Taurus' chest with jarring force. Even as he staggered back from the strike Cologne's hand blurred, her tiny fingers striking pressure points across the Dark Avatar's chest in rapid succession.

Taurus howled with rage and pain as his chest erupted in fire. Behind his ribs he felt his heart quake unstably and knew that he was mere moments away from it exploding. Before that could happen, however, he triggered his curse and felt the pain subside greatly. With dark glee he watched as the woman's already large eyes grew even wider, "That's right, bitch. Like this, your little tricks mean nothing to me," he growled.

Even as the thick paw came crashing towards her Cologne leapt off the beast. "We shall see," she said as she landed and her body blurred into an army.

From multiple angles blades came in to slice into his thick hide. Although the cuts were more like bee stings, they were still annoying. Before the next strike could come, Taurus slammed a cloven foot into the ground and suddenly a great circle around him exploded violently. As he predicted, the other women vanished as his target tried to avoid the rocks around her. "You're good, I'll give you that," he said with false respect. "Good enough that I want to see what kind of fight you'll give Phoenix." With that he unleashed a torrent of black energy towards Cologne.

The attack came in so fast that Cologne had no time to avoid it. As the dark magic flooded her system she felt as if her bones had been dipped in acid. Every nerve in her body screamed with agony as the magic sought to change and control her. But Cologne was not without tricks of her own. Wrapping her ki along paths most had never heard of, she fought back against the corruption with her very soul. The fight was the most exhausting thing of her life but after what seemed like hours the darkness was gone and all that was left was Taurus' surprised face.

"How? That's not possible!"

"There's more to being a matriarch than just living a long time, sonny," she gasped tiredly. Although she was free of the taint he had introduced into her body, the fight had taken everything from her. There was not even enough strength left to her to stand, something made painfully clear by the way she fell to her knees.

Growling with hatred, Taurus stomped up to the woman and glared down at her tiny form with contempt. "Yeah, but I'm still gonna kill you." With a dark sneer he raised his cloven foot and positioned it to crush the insect's head. As he brought it down Taurus roared with his anger. Until, that is, he felt his foot come to a sudden halt. Eyes wide, he looked down and saw a hand wrapped around his foot, a hand attached to a man looking not all that dissimilar to Ranma. Suddenly his eyes met those of Cologne's protector and Taurus felt a sliver of fear work its way down his spine. "Who the hell are you?"

"Don't you recognize the man that brought you into the world, Taro," asked the man coldly before shoving the hoof, and Taurus, far away.

Cologne stared up at the rather attractive young man with something akin to awe. She knew Taro's past well, as well as anyone else in Nerima that is, and knew who it was who helped usher the dark man into this world. "Happi?"

Brown eyes that burned with righteous fire looked down at her as he smiled widely. "Heya Cologne."

"But how?"

From within a bright Hawaiian shirt he pulled out a bomb, "I'll explain later!" Even as he hurled the explosive at the raging minotaur, Happosai charged in after his attack. Unlike Cologne, Happosai began tossing the monster around, never giving him the time to return any strikes. It was a tactic that had served him well in his old body and with his new one he found it to be even more effective.

For the fifth time in so few seconds, Taurus felt himself being hurtled into the air by the blast of a well-placed bomb. Even as its heat seared his flesh and the explosion's retort deafened him, Taurus could feel other Avatars closing in on his location. Growling, he let an explosion rock him high into the air before staying there with his comically small wings. "Later, freak," he called down to the no longer diminutive Happosai, "I'll be back."

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By the time Phoenix landed outside the ruined front of the Nekohanten the battle seemed to be long over. Unlike in Jubaan, there wasn't a crowd lurking around, Nerimans were too hardened against such things to be so stupid. Although it looked as if there was no one left to fight, Phoenix did not turn back. With fear driving him as it had since he first got Nabiki's call, he ran inside and found Mousse and another teen cleaning up the rubble from whatever happened. From the way the former kept glancing at the latter Phoenix had to wonder about the man's status in the war.

"Where's the fight," he demanded worriedly. "I got the old ghoul's call."

"You're lucky Cologne's too tired to be down here, sonny," laughed the newcomer. "Otherwise she'd probably bash you for that."

"Do I know you?" It was, as he had come to accept, rather hard for him to put names to faces, especially when he hadn't seen someone in a while. This person, however, was not spiking his recognition at all.

"It's Happosai," replied Mousse with understandable contempt.

Phoenix stared at the man for several moments with open mouthed surprise. "How did you . . . you know what, I don't care right now. Where's Taro?" Although he was insanely curious at the moment, Phoenix could see what was really important.

Happosai smiled approvingly, "He was here a little while ago but ran off after I saved Cologne."

"How is she," asked the Avatar worriedly. "That bastard didn't hurt her too bad, did he?"

"She's upstairs asleep. I don't know what he did to her but her ki's practically gone." From his grave tone it was clear that he was as worried as his protege.

"I'll have Cygnus look in on her when she gets here," responded Phoenix without hesitation. "Where's Shampoo? Did Taro get her?"

"She's upstairs too," answered Mousse sadly. "My darling was hurt in the opening attack."

"She's unconscious but not too bad," added Happosai. "But if you have a healer on the way then you should have them double check."

"How did you get here so fast," asked Mousse. "The attack was only a few minutes ago."

"I was already on the way. Someone's taken Akane."

"Akane is not alone," added a feminine voice.

Phoenix turned towards the source of the voice. It was a woman of surprising beauty. That she wore men's clothing and was completely soaked meant only one thing. "Konatsu? Don't tell me Ukyo's missing too."

Although the tears pooling in her eyes spoke to the ninja's emotional state she nodded resolutely. "When Ukyo was late for our date I went looking for her and found this in the road." The this in question turned out to be Ukyo's battle spatula.

Walking up to the forlorn woman, Phoenix placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll get her back."

Konatsu nodded, "Just promise me one thing. Kill the monster that did this."

While Mousse and Happosai looked at the teary-eyed girl with shock, Phoenix nodded. "That's the plan. Stay close and you might even be able to help kill him." Even as Konatsu bowed gratefully, the Avatar turned back to the two men who gaped at him. "Taro's gone off the deep end. He killed his village and who knows how many more."

Mouse might have grown pale with this revelation but Happosai's expression turned dark and cold. "If only I had known that before," he ground out, "I had the perfect opening."

Phoenix shook his head, "No offense, but he's an Avatar and that makes him my problem." The fiery man was gratified to see Happosai merely nod instead of arguing and to return the courtesy he bowed slightly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get to the Tendos and check in with them."

"I'll stay here in case Taro doubles back," replied the de-aged master. "But make sure my worthless students know that I'm back in town and will be checking in on them."

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With less than three minutes until the Six o'clock news, the anchor room of the main JNN studios was swirling cauldron of controlled chaos. Men and women went about their assigned tasks with the wrote professionalism of people long used to their positions. Make-up was checked and rechecked, stories were confirmed, and cameras were prepared all for the night's dose of news.

Soon enough, the cameras were rolling and vital information from the day's events were transmitted throughout the island nation. In the midst a story on an earthquake in the Kanto region someone walked up behind one of the camera men and casually snapped his neck before throwing the lifeless body in front of the cameras. There were gasps and the anchors tried to keep with the stories while also looking around to see what was happening. They did not have to wait long for their answers however.

In quick order the man was behind the desk and had the female host's head held tightly in his grasp. "If you cut away from this, I _will_ kill her." When the woman began to cry her captor seemed to get a gleeful thrill out of her terror. "Hear me Phoenix! I have the butch bitch and the cook. If you want them back alive meet me in front of the school in an hour. If you don't, then they'll end up like this woman." Before anyone could stop him the man casually snapped his prisoner's neck before walking off stage with a casual air.

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As the Tendo's small television replayed the news events the only other sound in the entire house was that of Ranma's teeth grinding against each other. Finally, after he could stomach no more, he switched off the box with an angry flick. "God! It's like he doesn't care at all," he ground out.

Nearby, her hands holding onto Line's fiercely, Nabiki looked up at the towering pillar of righteous fury. "You're not going to let him hurt Akane, right?"

"I'll do my best," answered Ranma slowly. "But you saw what he did to that woman. I wouldn't put past him to do the same thing to Akane and Ukyo."

Although she grew increasingly paler, Nabiki nodded. "I understand. Just make sure he dies screaming. Okay?"

"I'll do my best," he repeated, this time with far more hatred than before. "Kasumi and the others are on their way here. They should be here before the deadline."

"Poor choice of words Ranma," glared the sole Tendo female.

"Ranma," said Genma gruffly. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Ranma stared at his father with suspicion. Ultimately, however, he nodded and began walking towards the dojo. As he moved through the house that had, for so long, been his home, Ranma tried to think of what his father was going to say to him. Already he expected yelling and pleas for his return. Neither of which was he going to entertain for long but since the man asked nicely he figured he'd treat niceness in kind.

When they finally reached the dojo and the doors closed behind them, Ranma turned on his old man and stared at him neutrally. "Okay. Talk."

Genma drew in a deep breath and, for the first time, Ranma was struck by how old his father seemed. "Ranma, son. I just wanted to say that . . . . I'm very proud of you."

The teen stared at his father for a moment before asking, "What?"

"You heard me," growled Genma before calming down once more. "I know I wasn't the easiest father to have. I'm just glad you've been able to get out and make something of yourself. Whatever you think of me, just remember that I'm happy to call you son."

His mouth locked open by surprise, Ranma watched as his father turned and slowly walked away. Never had he expected such words out of the man and now he wasn't quite sure of what to do. It was true what Genma said, he was far from the best father ever. In fact, the man sucked on any meaningful scale. Yet just when he had managed to write the panda off he went and did something completely off kilter. Before his father could get too far away a mental nudge from Kasumi got his mouth working again.

"Hey Pops!" The man stopped, his whole frame showing a barely restrained hope. "Um, thanks. And, uh, I guess you should know that the old freak's back in town. So, um, maybe you should hide for a bit."

Genma turned slightly to smile his son's way, "Thanks. I think I'll do that."

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As consciousness slowly filled her being, the first thing Akane Tendo faced was pain. It radiated from the back of her skull in fearful waves that made her eyes water and her jaw clench. Although she was not unused to the sensation, experience had little affect on its agony.

Slowly she opened her eyes and, once the stars cleared from her vision, Akane was able to see where they were. _"Great,"_ she thought with a groan, _"why do they always bring me to school?"_ Even as she cursed the hand fate had once again dealt her, Akane heard a groan from her right. Looking over turned out to be one of the most painful experiences of her life, but when she was done she saw Ukyo tied to a pole similarly to how she must be.

The chef looked, in her honest opinion, like hell. The girl's hair was disheveled and her clothes torn. What truly drew the eye, however, was the massive bruise forming along the entire left side of Ukyo's face. Even from her position, Akane could make out the indentation of the woman's battle spatula. From her reckoning, Ukyo had, at best, a broken jaw. There was, of course, the possibility of worse injuries lurking beneath that bruise but Akane was not willing to make too big of a guess.

Being someone with a large amount of experience with kidnappings, Akane slowly began to assess the situation. Most people assumed that escape was the thing she would look for first, but that was not so. After so many times as a hostage Akane had learned that it is more important to know who has you than how to escape. With some captors there was no need to fear. Others, like the man pacing nearby, made the experience worse just by being there.

Taro, she felt, was among the worse people to have as a captor. He was not the sort to treat others with kindness, nor was he quick to help. That he had taken them without cause could only mean something terrible was afoot. And, although it galled her to think it, she knew without a doubt that Ranma would soon be there to rescue her.

Suddenly Taro stopped and when he faced her Akane felt a fear unlike any she'd encountered, "So, you're awake."

"Y-yeah. It helps that you're not the first one to knock me out and kidnap me," she said with measured strength.

"Well I'm glad you're up," he sneered. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to see your horror when I pull Fem-boy's spine out."

Akane stared at him and felt the depths of her fear grow. Never before had she heard one of their foes talk like that. Oh sure, Ryouga would often say he'd kill Ranma but that was because Ranma was picking on the poor thing. This, this was something completely different and Akane found herself wanting a rather large army between her and the man. "You're insane."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," replied a third, and familiar, voice.

For the first time since he left, Akane felt herself happy to hear her former fiancé's voice. It wasn't an army, to be sure, but one Ranma was better than nothing. "Watch out," she yelled. "He's got me and Ukyo and god knows how many more."

"That's right, freak," sneered Taro evilly as he made his way over to his prisoners. "You better watch out. Because if you're not careful I'll turn them both into Shades. Oh, and tell your friends to come out where I can see them. They've got three seconds before I start breaking bones."

Akane looked around with confusion for a moment before the Senshi leapt over the wall. Joining them were several people from her past, including one person she'd seen rather recently in fact. Every one of their faces stared at Taro with intense hatred. Even Sailor Moon, reportedly the kindest of the Senshi, looked ready to kill her captor.

"Good," nodded Taro as he nonchalantly eyed the men and women arrayed against him. "Good. Now, hand yourself over, Phoenix. You and the Crystal."

Even though the very idea made her head pound, Akane looked Phoenix in the eye and shook her head. As much as she may whine and pout about her place in the cosmos, she did know it well. There was no way she was going to let someone else sacrifice themselves for her, even if that person was Ranma. Despite her silent pleas, Phoenix seemed to be following Taro's commands.

Before the gallant idiot could go too far, a loud roar suddenly washed over the schoolyard only to grow to deafening proportions. All eyes turned to the sky and there they all saw a ball of fire rushing headlong towards them. Being somewhat used to falling objects, it did not take Akane long to figure out where it was heading and quickly she looked down at Taro. In the second before that meteor struck she saw Taro mouth, "Oh shit." After that all she knew was flight. Such was the power of the blast that both she and her pole were hurled high into the air only to slam into the school with bone jarring force.

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Even as his ears were ringing and his vision blurred, Phoenix reached out for Cygnus through their link. Blessedly he found her in short order and, aside from being shaken by their ordeal, she appeared none the worse for wear. With his love safe, the Avatar busied himself with the wider world. Moving as quickly as the spinning world would allow, he stood and began to make his way over to the crater.

And crater it was. A massive chunk of the school grounds had been caved in by whatever it was that crashed into it. From the center of that depression he could just make out the ghostly form of a bull rising up into the air. Although he didn't know how, Phoenix knew that the bull was Taurus' true form. Raising his hand towards the corrupted constellation, Phoenix opened his mouth to call out a warning. Before he could say word one, however, a hand sheathed in a golden gauntlet burst out of the crater and wrapped itself around Taurus' spectral self.

"Not so fast," said a voice.

To Phoenix's ear it was a voice that _was_ power. It washed over him and made every muscle freeze. In his mind he could hear layer after layer of age and authority all wrapped within a very pleasing feminine lilt. Though he did not know who this person was, the fighter in him knew that a new player had just entered the game.

"You, Avatar," spoke the still concealed voice. "Do you know of a way to cleanse this curse? Or shall I end its life before it causes any more grief?"

Phoenix felt the power receded from his vocal cords and quickly said, "Yes! Cygnus can cure him."

"So, she has involved herself too," asked the voice with a hint of surprise. "Things must be more dire than I once thought. You may start at any time, Cygnus."

As he had many times before, Phoenix felt the rapid rising of his love's power. Even without being the target of her cleansing, he felt his head clear and the ringing in his ears faded. Soon enough a beam of light so bright it turned all other lights into dark photo negatives burst across the ruined field and slammed into the spirit of Taurus. Without a host to help fight Cygnus' power, the darkness was quickly washed away, leaving only the glowing form of a proud bull.

_**"Thank you,"**_ it said into the minds of all present. _**"You have no idea how horrible it was to be bound to such a horrid creature. I had no idea the depths of Taro's ugliness. Even so corrupted as I was, it scared me. You have my eternal gratitude."**_

"Wait," said Cygnus. "You say you were bound to Taro. But I thought you joined with him willingly."

_**"I did. And once so joined the bond can only be broken by the death of one or both. Remember that Avatars."**_ With that final statement, Taurus floated away to return to his rightful place in the heavens.

Deciding to dwell on Taurus' words later, Phoenix looked at the crater, "So, who are you then."

"I am known by many names across the breadth of my domain." As she spoke the dust and debris began to flow away on stiff breeze. In their wake they left the image of a woman garbed in golden armor not unlike the kind that the Senshi wore before they changed their outfits. Trailing behind her in a pseudo campaign cloak was a mane of reddish-orange hair. "But you may call me, Galaxia."

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Once again, Akane found herself waking in a place that was not her bed. This time, however, she was not bound up and instead she was staring up into the kindly face of a paramedic. "What?"

Gentle hands pushed her back down, "Woah there. You took a bad fall. The Senshi said they patched you up but we're taking you in for observation. So just stay still and calm down, you're safe now."

Akane looked around. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Phoenix and the others jump away with a strangely armored woman with them. Their escape, however, mattered little to her. Instead, the bulk of her concentration was for her fellow prisoner. "Where," she rasped, "where's Ukyo?"

"Your friend is already on her way to the hospital. The Senshi were able to stabilize her, but some of her injuries were too delicate for them to heal all the way."

Although she was still worried about her once rival, Akane found herself admiring the woman working on her. Even though the situation was dire, the woman was going about her duties with a calm ease. It was like watching Ranma at work when he was in the zone and it made her think about things she never considered. _"Hmm, maybe I can help people and still be something more than just me,"_ she thought as the woman and her partner lifted her onto a stretcher.

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Author's Notes: Well, it took over a year, but another chapter is finally done. I hope it was worth the wait. For you guys who are wondering how much further this story is going, know that I'm planning on one more chapter and then an epilogue. So we're in the home stretch now. That being said, the things that stalled this chapter for so long are still in play. Therefore, do not expect the next chapter for at least another year; probably more.

For you Akane fans, I hope you enjoyed how I handled her here. Originally I wasn't going to have her in the story at all, but I figured the Rouge intro made for a perfect device to see how Akane was doing after all this time. And then, after I had Akane at the first of the chapter, I realized later on that I was writing a Ranma fic and no one was getting kidnapped. So there you have it, the requisite kidnapping and save.

Some of you probably had questions about Konatsu's current gender. No, I did not make a mistake in saying she was a girl. All of that was explained in a sidestory I wrote called SitS: A Nerima-side Story.

Yes, I killed Taro rather fast, didn't I. Well, quite frankly, I didn't want to write a big fight scene. And I've known for a while that Galaxia was going to be in on this, so her dropping on the party, literally, seemed the most Ranma thing to do. In case there are any questions, yes Taro is dead.

Finally, tonight I would like to take a moment to thank you all. I know I have not been the most prompt author but knowing that there are people waiting for more has given me the extra oomph to finish a scene or line of dialogue. A special thanks goes out to you guys who gave written in the last few months. Because I do not know how such things will be affected by 's ever changing rules, I will refrain from saying your names here. Just know that I read your messages and appreciate your concern. Keep the faith guys, keep the faith.

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People


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